WIRRAL Council has been urged to ensure its new chief executive lives within the borough.

Current chief executive Graham Burgess is due to retire from the authority at the end of the year, with headhunters appointed to find his replacement.

Mr Burgess made the surprise announcement that he is to retire from his job last month, with opposition councillors saying the cash-strapped authority should use the opportunity to make savings by sharing the role with another council.

A meeting is due to take place later this month to begin the process of finding potential candidates, but Wallasey Conservative Cllr Paul Hayes says the new boss should be forced to live in Wirral as part of their contract.

He said: “Seeing as though Labour run Wirral council has determined that it is necessary to appoint another town hall bureaucrat on a six figure salary, I think the least we can expect is that any new chief executive is asked to live in Wirral within six months of their appointment.

“I believe that it is important that any chief executive looking to serve the communities of Wirral in this high profile role should live in the borough as soon as they can make those arrangements.

“It's entirely reasonable that this request should be made and I think the people of Wirral have a right to expect that any policies implement by a new chief executive will equally effect him or her as a fellow resident of Wirral.”

Mr Burgess has already found himself a new role after being appointed chairman of a newly-formed north west housing group "Torus". Read more here.