A COUNCIL has defended plans to take on two senior managers for six months at a cost of £144,000.

Hartlepool Borough Council said it had been forced to turn to a recruitment agency to fill the posts of head of education resources and assistant director in the children and families section following staff shortages.

The council will pay £72,000 each for the new staff, but chief executive Paul Walker said it was essential the roles were filled after restructuring had left the authority severely under-staffed.

He said: "We've been trying to remedy this shortage by moving staff around and through secondments.

"But this can't continue, not when the departments we're talking about deal with young children and vulnerable adults."

A shake-up in the way children's and adult's services are run saw the number of departments at the council cut from five to four. The changes led to high-profile departures, including former chief executive Brian Dinsdale.

Mr Walker defended the cost of bringing in the staff which he said would be partly offset by savings elsewhere.

He said: "In the end, this is going to lead to an extra cost of £85,000 maximum. During the six months, we will be looking to recruit people for these roles permanently."