COUNCILLORS have rejected calls for a job to be axed but have wasted almost £400 in having to re-advertise the post.

Lyme Regis Town Council had advertised for a new deputy town clerk after Mark Tredwin resigned last month. But councillors considered cutting the job completely, before voting in favour of making the job a two-year fixed term.

Cllr Derek Hallett suggested the authority would make significant savings by not recruiting a new deputy town clerk, and that any appointment should be put on hold.

"Can I suggest that we leave the appointment of any new staff, particularly the deputy town clerk, until this council has carried out a thorough review of its administration procedures" he said.

"There would be a saving to the council of roughly £50,000 if we didn't have a deputy town clerk."

Town clerk John Wright said he would be forced to increase his workload by 70 percent - something he would refuse to do after suffering a health scare last year. He also said that the council's projects would suffer as a result and that re-advertising the post would be a lengthy process.

"I think it's quite an important post to this organisation" said Mr Wright.

"I had a heart attack and I'm going to be realistic. I will do my contracted hours and put the effort in when it needs to be put in to get things done. But I have to be reasonable and look after my interests and the interests of my family."

"I'm assuming this administration will want to develop some policy objectives of their own. The implications of delaying an appointment are actually quite significant."

Cllr Daryl Turner suggested the council had been interfering too much and that it needed to get the basics right first. Cllr John Broom proposed a two-year fixed term to give the council time to access whether or not the post is required.

Cllr Anita William’s and Cllr Michaela Ellis pleaded with other councillors that making the post a fixed-term contract would put off candidates coming forward.

"This council has spent a long time in the past looking inwards and not achieving things" said Cllr Williams. "For the last four years, actually there has been some real achievements. I don't want to see us stopping that. I just don't see how we're going to do that without the staff.

"This is a big business and you need decent staff. I really don't want to see us treading water for a year."

The role is now being re-advertised as a two-year fixed contract.