Cash-strapped Lambeth Council has been criticised for spending a whopping £70,000 on recruiting a director for a top job with a six-figure salary.

The cash, spent to find a new director of children and young person’s services, will come directly from funding that could be spent directly on the borough’s young people.

The sum – that will go on headhunters, recruitment consultants and advertising the position – is just under half the figure recently cut from proposed funding for next year’s Young and Safe budget.

It could have funded new projects for the programme, that aims to keep young people away from gangs and youth violence.

But instead it has been used to advertise the job - which will command a salary of up to £157,000.

Critics have questioned the need to spend so much advertising a job with a pay packet significantly higher then the Prime Minister’s.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: “This is an appalling amount of money to spend recruiting for one job.

"The role has an excessively large salary as it is, so there is no need to spend a small fortune on advertising and recruitment consultants.

“It is an insult to taxpayers in Lambeth that while they struggle to make ends meet the council is splashing money around like a drunken billionaire.”

A Lambeth Council spokesman defended the expenditure.

He said: “The position of executive director of children and young people’s service (CYPS) is one of the most critical posts a local authority can appoint.

"Councils throughout the country advertise these positions in national newspapers, trade press, and employ experts for advice which is the majority of the cost - and Lambeth Council is no exception.

"The executive director of CYPS leads the borough on safeguarding, education of all children and young people, Building Schools for the Future and all community learning.”

A shortlist of candidates were interviewed for the position last Friday and an announcement on the successful candidate is expected soon.