UK Government to pay £120k For 'Twittercrat'

The UK government is advertising for a 'Director of Digital Engagement'. The job description? To create strategies for communicating over social networking sites.

The role, seemingly designed for a teenage girl, pays £120,000 a year, although that may rise to £160,000, more than the Lord Chancellor makes before allowances.

The job advertisement has understandably come under fire from the government's rivals. Susie Squire, the TaxPayers' Alliance campaign manager, said: "The Government should not be spending money on a Twittercrat during a recession. The public sector should be tightening its belt during times of economic hardship, not wasting tens of thousands of pounds on what seems like a PR stunt to boosts its image."

Conservative Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, echoed her sentiment, saying, "Hard pressed families struggling as the recession bites will find it hard to understand how Labour can so freely spend their money on peddling their own propaganda."

The job advert comes as new guidance suggests that senior public officials' salary bands should be available as a matter of public interest. "Those who are paid from the public purse should expect information on their salaries to be made public," said Gerrard Tracey, Assistant Information Commissioner for the Information Commissioners Office.

Source: The Telegraph