James Alexander left the role of running York for a job that will end in June.
The City of York Council leader revealed on Thursday he is to resign as leader to take up a job with the national Labour Party as policy officer for communities.
That job is tied to the run up to the General Election which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 7, 2015.
It is a fixed term contract until one month after the election.
The post-holder will support the relevant Shadow Ministers and the Leader of the Labour Party, provide research on the implications of Government policies, draft publications for internal and external stakeholders in support of The Labour Party’s work as the official opposition, and take responsibility for servicing the Party’s policy making institutions and processes, including managing relevant policy commissions.
The successful candidate will have an excellent knowledge of the relevant policy areas, substantive experience of policy and political research, and excellent political judgement.
The job has an annual salary of £32,997 plus an “annual fixed sum allowance” of £971.
This is more than the £30,712 allowance paid to the leader of York council, but will only be paid pro rata until the end of the contract in June 2015.
Advertised in August, the “policy officer – communities” role will see Cllr Alexander “assisting with The Labour Party’s co-ordinated approach to policy research, development and liaison, with specific responsibility for policy on transport, local government, housing and culture, media and sport”.
When asked by YorkMix what he will do after June, Cllr Alexander said: “I have a plan.”
He declined to go into details, but said he would be staying in York and not moving to the capital.
“Although I’ll be in London during week I’ll be here at weekends and family will be here,” he said.