County leaders approved plans to fill the void left by exiting chief executive Joanna Simons at the end of September.

The county council agreed to make chief legal officer Paul Clark head of paid services and returning officers — roles previously held by the council chief executive.

However, because Mr Clark is currently monitoring officer he will step down from this position and be replaced by Nick Graham, deputy head of law and culture.

Head of paid services reports to the council about how its decisions are carried out, while a returning officer coordinates elections. A monitoring officer is in charge of maintaining the fairness and legality of council decisions.