A former deputy editor on a regional daily has started a new job this week as a top spin doctor with his local county council.

Martin Done quit the Nottingham Evening Post after 20 years on Friday to join Nottinghamshire County Council as its new service director (communications) – a post advertised with a salary of over £71,000.

Martin joined the NEP as a reporter in 1990 and steadily worked his way through the ranks, becoming deputy chief sub-editor, head of production, assistant editor and finally deputy editor in November 2005.

He also spearheaded changes at the Evening Post as the Northcliffe daily became one of the first fully-converged newsrooms in Europe, once cited by global research organisation IFRA as the future of news production.

Martin told HTFP: “I enjoyed my time hugely at the Evening Post, doing a lot regarding the integration and taking the paper forward.

“I am looking forward to the new job and the huge challenges that it will no doubt bring.

“Local authorities are going through unprecedented change in the face of financial pressures and I’m looking forward to playing a part in that.”

In December, the Evening Post carried a story about the council communications post headlined “Fury over £71,000 spin doctor job despite cuts”.

It reported that opposition councillors had been heavily critical of the move, which followed the earlier announcement of plans to axe 1,370 council posts.

Nottinghamshire County Council’s previous service director left in summer 2007 and Martin’s appointment comes after the departure of the council’s corporate communications manager and head of customers and communications.

A county council spokesman had told the Post: “The council currently has separate communications functions across all of its departments.

“The plan is to centralise all communications functions under a single service director for the first time.”

Comments

Subb Yerr Own Werk frm now on (23/03/2010 10:05:05)
The brain drain to press office work continues – better pay (check), valued by employers (check), career prospects (check). Work for Johnston Press, Trinity Mirror or Northcliffe? The survey says: Uh-Oh!

James (23/03/2010 12:18:22)
Good on him! But seriously – public sector wages are a joke. A role of this type shouldn’t pay more than 50k tops.

wow (23/03/2010 13:41:47)
Martin Done good
can someone tell me why my council tax is so high?

happyhack (23/03/2010 17:07:30)
Perhaps we should be celebrating the fact that these highly paid jobs are (if they’re going to exist) going to people from a news background rather than someone with a diploma in PR?

Hengist Pod (26/03/2010 15:23:49)
Good on him I say. Wouldn’t we all love a job like that. But worth bearing in mind those local goverment paymasters probaly demand their pound of flesh for something paying that kind of salary.