A SENIOR council job was given to an existing employee without the post being advertised or anybody else being considered.

The appointment, and pay rise of around £15,000, is in direct contradiction to the council's own recruitment policy.

Now procedures in human resources will be examined by councillors on the scrutiny committee and the member of the public who demanded to know what was going on will give evidence.

Community stalwart Peter Spiro of Somers Road, Walthamstow, said: "There's been a clear breach in a recent appointment. I really feel that someone has to be accountable for the fault that's been made."

Lorna Lee, now the head of libraries, museum and gallery, was promoted from the post of gallery and museum manager during a restructuring of the service, after the council cut £56,000 from its budget this financial year.

Her promotion put her up four council grades, from a salary range of £40,782 to £45,048 to one of £53,154 to £60,957 - an equivalent of four grades.

William Morris Gallery curator, Peter Cormack, who had been at the gallery for 30 years, and Vestry House Museum's local studies librarian David Pracy were made redundant as part of the same process.

The appointment came to light after Mr Spiro asked a series of questions over a period of months at his local community council meeting.

The council claimed that under its Managing Change procedure, certain staff "could be "directly assimilated into roles at the same grade or interviewed for posts where grades increased".

But Managing Change also says managers should not assimilate staff if their new jobs would be substantially different or the grade differential between the old and new job is more than one above or below.

The borough had originally refused to answer the question when it was put to the Walthamstow West Community Council in August.

Clive Morton, head of cultural services and Mrs Lee's boss, provoked outrage at last month's community council by refusing to reveal details of the job.

He would not say where the post had been advertised, who had been considered or interviewed, adding that he would have to consult lawyers first.