COPELAND Council's £110,000-a-year boss Paul Walker has been sensationally axed.

Mayor Mike Starkie has ordered a shake-up of the council's management team, which has seen Mr Walker's chief executive position made redundant.

Once the shock move has been rubber-stamped, the role will formally end in December.

Mr Walker's responsibilities are expected to be divided between Mr Starkie and directors Pat Graham, Julie Betteridge and Fiona Rooney.

Speaking exclusively to The Whitehaven News, the mayor said the decision is "purely economic and strategic and is no reflection on Mr Walker's work".

The total annual saving to the council, including Mr Walker's salary and other pension/expenses contributions, is £142,287. Mr Walker's is the only job being made redundant.

Council employees were briefed on Monday and councillors informed by email.

Mr Starkie said: "I have carried out an evaluation since the election and I believe the council does not require the role of a chief executive in this new, streamlined structure. Additionally, the deletion of this role creates a significant cost saving for the council."

A number of other councils around the country that have an elected mayor have opted to dispense with the chief executive role.

Mr Starkie added: "People voted for change in May's election and this is part of that change. The council is a much smaller organisation that it once was - it employs only around 200 people when there was once around 600 - so decisions have to reflect that.

"This streamlining decision - with a flatter management structure - aligns with the direction in which I want to take the council." Mr Walker joined Copeland in 2010, having previously been managing director of Blackpool Services with Blackpool Council.

His tenure has been during a controversial period for Copeland, including severe cuts to services and the high-profile collapse of the Pow Beck scheme which cost Whitehaven the chance of hosting Rugby League World Cup matches in 2013.

The mayor and his executive are currently preparing a new corporate plan for the next four years. The current medium term financial strategy forecast savings in the order of £3million over the next three years, on top of significant savings already made since 2010.

The decision about the chief executive position is expected to be rubber-stamped by Copeland's Executive on Monday and the full 51-member council on October 1.