A salary package of £129,000 a year with relocation expenses is being offered by Southend Council to find its new chief executive and town clerk.

The job is being advertised nationally and in local government publications following the resignation of George Krawiec.

Mr Krawiec is leaving Southend in a month's time to be the new chief executive at North East Lincolnshire Council.

The £129,000 salary offered by Southend Council, which is responsible for services like education and social services, compares favourably with other authorities in Essex.

In comparison, Colchester Council's new chief executive gets a salary of more than £100,000 even though it is a district authority responsible for basic services like rubbish collection.

Essex County Council's chief executive Stewart Ashurst earned between £160,074 and £177,861, in the financial year 2003/2004.

Until a new appointment is made to the top post, borough treasurer David Andrews will be the acting Southend chief executive.

A description of the job says the successful candidate will be a networker and relationship builder with the ability to influence senior figures in central government.

It added an experienced leader and senior manager is being sought with strong local government knowledge plus experience of working within a large, complex organisation.