NINE senior Waltham Forest Council posts are currently filled by interim consultants, it has been revealed, prompting fears that wage costs are higher than they would be if the positions were filled by permanent staff members.

Deputy council leader Keith Rayner did not provide figures showing how much more the consultants are costing than permanent members of staff, following a question from Conservative group leader Matt Davis.

Cllr Davis said: "It is reasonable to assume they are costing a lot more.

"The number of interims at head of service level is unusual for councils, I believe.

"It suggest that the council is having trouble filling high positions."

Cllr Rayner said that he would make sure the information would be supplied to Cllr Davis at a later date.

The question comes four months after the Guardian revealed that the fee for the services of the council's interim chief executive Roger Taylor is up to £90,000 more than the usual salary for his post.

Cllr Rayner said: "It needs to be remembered that some of the interims are not used on a full-time basis and are not paid for holidays and sickness, bringing the cost of covering the posts down significantly.

"The council is either in the process of recruiting or seeking to recruit to the majority of the posts that are currently filled on an interim basis and that given the overall workforce the percentage of people occupying these positions is less than 0.3 per cent of the council's overall staff."

The Guardian asked the council how much more the consultants were costing than if permanent staff were appointed instead, but the authority said it is checking its legal position before releasing the figures or commenting.