The deputy chief executive position is being axed at Kingston Council, possibly heralding another huge payout to departing senior staff less than a year after the £312,000 golden handshake for the former CEO.

A decision was made by the council’s Finance and Contracts Committee on November 29, to “align the senior officer structure to the size of the borough and overall staffing structure”, and the position will disappear once a new CEO is appointed at some point in the new year.

The council has stressed the move will save money in the long run.

There will be a process of consultation with current interim CEO Roy Thompson – who stepped up from his previous role as deputy after Charlie Adan’s departure – and details of the expected cost have not yet been made public.

A Kingston Council spokesperson said: “The council has decided to no longer have a deputy chief executive post.

“This reduces the number of senior posts and will generate a cost savings for the council.

“We will be following the appropriate procedures and policies to comply with employment legislation.”

At the meeting, deputy leader of the opposition, Councillor Rowena Bass, asked whether the projected cost of the redundancy – which members had access to – will be made public.

She said: “One of the reasons we’re in this mess is because the [Liberal Democrat administration] removed in one of their first decisions the excellent CEO, and you made great headlines with the amount of savings you made from that.”

When Ms Adan’s departure was announced, less than two months after the May elections and after just 22 months in the job, she was paid a staggering £312,000 including pension costs.

The council said at the time that Mr Thompson taking over as interim would save the council £190,000 a year with his deputy position unfilled, which would go some way to absorbing those costs.

Cllr Bass said: “You made great play on the amount of money that you saved by getting rid of the CEO and removing the post of deputy, and we can’t use these figures [relating to the upcoming redundancy].”

New Malden campaigner James Giles said after the meeting: “We’ve already paid extortionate sums to remove the CEO, and now we are hearing that the deputy is being made redundant.

“For a council that’s supposed to be in financial trouble, some of the decisions being made are wholly irresponsible, and a slap in the face to the taxpayers of Kingston.”