TORY chiefs have accused a West Yorkshire super-council of needlessly wasting public money by duplicating staff.

The Conservative group on Bradford Council said the five West Yorkshire councils, the Combined Authority and the Leeds Enterprise Partnership (LEP) should hold talks to make sure they are not taking on staff members doing similar jobs.

Its leader Councillor Simon Cooke said: "I was surprised to see that the LEP are advertising for a communications executive, with a salary which will rise to near £30,000, with free nationwide travel and visits to conferences in places like Cannes.

"While the very lucky candidate who gets the job will work within the LEP, they will be employed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which employs the staff who were previously employees of West Yorkshire Metro.

"Further, the five West Yorkshire Councils all have communications staff, so it seems likely to me, that it is unnecessary for them to create this new role.

"At a point in time when public funds are stretched and the duplication of staff is being targeted for removal in order to prevent needless waste, I am stunned that the powers that be did not recognise the merit of allocating the duties of the new post to existing combined authority or local authority employees."

Councillor David Green, leader of Labour-run Bradford Council, said: "We have an agreement between the two organisations about the shared responsibilities and while this individual will be working for the LEP, they will also be consulting with the Combined Authority.

"In terms of the job's description, this role is about looking for investment and not, as Cllr Cooke implies, simply a media relations role.

"This role is to help the Leeds City Region to secure inward investment into the region."

Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Jeanette Sunderland said she too was concerned about the cost of the Combined Authority.

She said it was costing Bradford alone £27 million a year to be a part of, and was now recruiting for a chief executive and asking for more powers from the Government.

She said: "I don't mind a light-touch strategic overview at all. I think it's the right thing to do. I don't have a problem with any of that.

"But if the Tories are not careful, they will have reinvented (now defunct regeneration agency) Yorkshire Forward with a much bigger budget."

A spokesman for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority said: "While the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority are merged and located under one roof, the two organisations have distinct roles."

He said the LEP's new communications executive would work closely with other communications colleagues across the City Region’s ten districts, doing work previously covered by two members of staff soon to depart from LEP International.

He said: "As the advert makes clear, the post focuses on media relations and producing web information as well as managing private sector-supported events ranging from small local meetings to government visits."