ESSEX County Council's new chief executive will earn £15,000 per year less than his predecessor in the role.

Council leader David Finch announced today that Gavin Jones, currently chief executive of Swindon Council, will take up the role in Essex from January.

Mr Jones will be paid a basic salary of £195,000 per year, nearly £9,500 a month.

Mr Finch said: “Following a thorough and robust recruitment process, I am delighted to announce Gavin will be taking on what is one of the biggest and most challenging roles in local government.

“He brings with him a wealth of experience. At Swindon, he helped turn round the council, gaining a reputation for organisational development, partnership working and innovation.

"He has also held high profile positions in the private sector working for global companies within the telecommunications, travel and IT Industries.”

Joanna Killian, who stepped down as chief executive in May, had been collecting an annual salary of £210,000.

Mr Jones initially joined Swindon Council in 2003 as deputy chief executive, working alongside the interim chief executive to help stabilise what was at that time a failing authority.

Since his appointment as chief executive in 2006, he has driven a programme of improvement and transformation, helping secure savings of more than £300m and raising the profile of the council.

Prior to taking up the role at Swindon, Mr Jones worked in a variety of roles across the private sector, including air transport communications company SITA.

He was listed as one of the top 50 ‘New Radicals’ in the Sunday Observer’s national campaign for Britain’s most innovative leaders and is regularly voted one of the most influential leaders in Local Government. In Essex, he will be paid a salary of £195,000.

Mr Jones said: “Essex is a fabulous county, rich in history but forward looking, and I am truly honoured to have been given the opportunity to serve as Essex County Council’s chief executive.

“During the recruitment process it quickly became clear to me that the council's elected members, staff and partners are not only passionate about their county but also ambitious for its future, and are absolutely focused on improving the lives of all Essex residents.

“I am very much looking forward to playing my part in that. I will bring commitment and energy to the role, and I know that in working collaboratively with a wide range of partners and stakeholders we have the ability to build on what has already been achieved and give the county an increasingly prosperous future. It won’t always be easy, but I am absolutely certain it can be done.”

Existing executives at the council will continue to cover the role until Mr Jones joins the authority in January.