A TEMPORARY member of staff at Barnet Council is being paid more than £15,000 per month, the Times Series can reveal.

Andrew Travers, 50, an acting deputy chief executive, received payments totalling £32,500 in May and June through a company of which he is the only director.

The revelations come from the detailed accounts for the first quarter of this year, published for the first time by the council last week.

They show the payments made to Halliford Associates Ltd, a company set up in April this year and registered in Tunbridge Wells, from the chief executive's service.

The payments are listed as “consult fees”.

A statement from Barnet Council did not say why Mr Travers was paid £2,500 more in June than May.

Mr Travers has been leading on recruiting new financial directors to the council, with three jobs worth nearly £200,000 between them.

A statement from Barnet Council said: “The use of staff on a contractual basis gives the council flexibility when planning for the future.

“This specific contract was put in place after a rigorous recruitment process failed to find a suitable candidate.

“When filling posts in this way, the council makes sure that contracts stay within the existing budget for the post."