A TOP job paying as much as what Jeremy Corbyn earns to develop a new ‘city region’ in Gloucestershire is being advertised.

The ‘city region’ forms part of the Gloucestershire Vision 2050, a project released in 2018, and would be on land in between Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury.

The new postholder could earn more than Gloucestershire County Council’s chief executive Peter Bungard, and almost the same as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at up to £137,005.

Mr Bungard was paid £131,036 last year on a part-time salary. Mr Corbyn earns £137,402 as an MP and Labour leader.

A job advert published online states Gloucestershire County Council is looking for a director of economy and infrastructure to ‘develop an exciting new City Region across a county with outstanding potential’.

The role would involve overseeing the 2050 Vision and developing jobs, housing and the transport infrastructure to support the growth of local economy in the city region.

While the successful candidate would be paid up to £137,005, the salary bracket starts at £118,000.

The county council said the salary reflects trying to ‘attract the best possible candidates’.

The job advert has been published to find the replacement of Nigel Riglar, former director of economy and infrastructure at the county council.

The job advert reads: “The Gloucestershire 2050 vision is all about growth. Growth of the economy by developing jobs, housing and the transport infrastructure to develop an exciting new City Region across a county with outstanding potential. Your role as Director of Economy and Infrastructure would be to bring this vision to life – a role that will be both interesting and challenging requiring ambition, innovation and resilience.

“The range of partners and stakeholders are wide and varied as there will be conversations with neighbouring authorities and the LEP in addition to lobbying central government. Relationship management will be fundamental and extend to the districts in relation to housing development and the spatial strategy.

“We are looking for someone who will quickly understand the Gloucestershire context and be able to work with a variety of partners in a high profile-high interest role. You will need both imagination and people skills to lead your own and other teams through the development and promotion of our vision and the strategy. Your political skills, commercial acumen and influence will be paramount in working to a hugely important agenda, critical to the success of the county.

“If you can match our future growth ambitions with your own, we need to talk.”

Gloucestershire Vision 2050, a two-year project which gathered views from schools and figureheads, outlined how to attract and retain young people in the county.

The proposals were drawn up to tackle an exodus of young people over the next 30 years, as under-25s are leaving the county for larger cities while the elderly population is set to grow significantly.

If nothing is done, there will be 79,000 more over-65s and 4,000 more under-18s by 2039.

A consultation went out to residents across the six districts last year, asking for solutions to the problem as well as opinions on six big ideas: an airport in the Cotswolds; expanding the Cotswold waterpark; building a super city; forming a national park; creating a Lydney-Sharpness crossing; and constructing the cyber park.

Since October, the ambition to expand the Cotswold Airport had been dropped and Leadership Gloucestershire are working to establish three boards to transform the county.

Members of the Leadership Gloucestershire group are currently working together to act on the results of the consultation.

A spokeswoman for Gloucestershire County Council said: “The county council runs vital services that protect the most vulnerable, and we have a crucial job to play in growing our economy, protecting local jobs and fighting climate change.

“This role is key to making sure we can do that, whilst maintaining our record of delivering some of the lowest council tax of any county council.

“We need attract the best possible candidates to lead that important work and the salary reflects this and is in keeping with similar roles in both the private and public sector.”