THE £394,000 pay out to Bournemouth council's outgoing chief executive will be discussed at a special meeting this evening.

The extraordinary full council meeting, taking place at 5pm on the day boss Tony Williams is due to leave, has been called to consider a "proposed restructure to the senior leadership team".

Councillors will be asked to approve plans to make the role of chief executive redundant and transfer his responsibilities as 'head of paid service' - the legal role - to deputy chief executive Jane Portman, who is also the executive director for 'adults and children'.

This is described in the proposal as an "interim arrangement" until future plans for joint working between Bournemouth and Poole or forming a new conurbation-wide unitary council are finalised.

The plan has been mired in controversy over the size of the pay out and the timing of the decision to make the role redundant, amid rumours of a dispute between Mr Williams and council leader John Beesley over the latter's business interests, which the council, Tony Williams and John Beesley have denied.