WYCHAVON District Council's head of planning is to step up to the authority's top job when current managing director, Sid Pritchard, retires in 16 months' time.

Jack Hegarty, who at present heads up the council's planning team, will succeed to the managing director role in April, 2004.

His appointment was agreed at a recent meeting of the authority's executive board, where it was decided he should be made managing director designate, with immediate effect.

The decision not to advertise the post or conduct a formal interview procedure was criticised, however, by the council's Liberal Democrat group.

Councillor Margaret Rowley said: "This is not personal; it is a matter of principle.

"I am totally opposed to this way of appointing a managing director."

She added there should have been open competition for the job.

Her Liberal Democrat colleague, councillor Adrian Darby, said a candidate selected following a process of interviews would have been in a better position when they took up the role.

"If they have gone through the process and clearly come out the best, it gives them more authority," he explained.

Although councillor Darby wondered whether the decision could have been made after the forthcoming local elections, he added: "I am not against this particular person, who I think is a star."

The leader of the council, councillor Malcolm Meikle, justified the appointment, saying: "I suspect, with almost total confidence, that if we waited until after the election, this talent would not be available for consideration.

"When the head of planning was appointed, there was acknowledgement that he had a great deal of capacity.

"Therefore, it seems quite wrong not to recognise that and take advantage of the talent we have in-house."