Cash-strapped Cheshire East is next week set to extend the contract of the interim monitoring officer until October – at a whopping cost to the council of £1,121 a day.

The council needs about £28 million of exceptional financial support from the government to balance its books for 2026/27.

The contract extension of interim monitoring officer Kevin O'Keefe will further add to the authority's financial woes, with a paper to next week's meeting of full council saying it would result in a forecast overspend of more than £60,000 for the seven-month period in 2026/27.

On top of that, the overspend on that one temporary appointment for this financial year is expected to be more than £58,000 by the end of March 2026.

The paper states: "The cost of the interim director of governance and law, monitoring officer, from September 1, 2025, up to March 31, 2026, is forecast to be £151,352, with the full year cost of covering the role forecast to overspend by £58,191 against the 2025/26 budget.

"Extending the appointment from April 1, 2026, to October 31, 2026, at a rate of £1,121 per day, is forecast to cost £156,940.

"When compared to the pro-rata 2026/27 budget for this period (£96,622), it would result in a forecast overspend of £60,318 for the seven-month period in 2026/27."

Cheshire East attempted twice last year to recruit a permanent monitoring officer, but no appointment was made.

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When the permanent post was advertised the salary ranged from £85,883 to £115,826.

Interim appointments cost councils a lot more, but they have to stump up the extra cash because, by law, local authorities must have a monitoring officer.

The report states: "Mr O'Keefe is a highly experienced monitoring officer and former local authority chief executive.

"As part of the appointments committee process, authority was given to appoint to this post for up to one year.

"Mr O'Keefe's appointment was made for an initial period of six months, with an end-date of the end of February 2026."

It adds: "The recruitment market for monitoring officers is very challenging, with issues such as local government reorganisation placing high demands upon the pool of available candidates.

"In addition to this, the current post holder is involved in a number of high priority matters, and it is therefore essential to extend the period of his appointment."

The meeting of the full council takes place at Tatton Park at 11am on Wednesday, February 25.

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