A COUNCIL came under fire today for paying its Scotland-based transport chief £200,000 a year for a post that should cost just £50,000.

Services are under threat and staff at Bournemouth Borough Council, Dorset, face potential redundancy but bosses are paying over the odds for transport services chief James Duncan.

The senior management post carries a fixed salary of £50,603, plus pension.

But the council employs Mr Duncan through agency Penna plc, which charged £206,000 for his services between January 29 last year and February 1 this year. He commutes weekly from Scotland.

Susie Squire, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "We're in the grip of a recession and the council should not fritter away taxpayers' money in this cavalier fashion."