The Local Government Association has hired former Shropshire CC chief executive Carolyn Downs at its new boss on a salary of £169,000.

The salary for the role dropped dramatically at the start of this year, following pressure from secretary of state Eric Pickles. Mr Pickles highlighted current chief executive, John Ransford’s £245,000 plus pensions package and called for a cut.

A renegotiated package saw Mr Ransford’s pay cut to £80,000, and the new chief executive post advertised at £150,000 or more for exceptional candidates.

The announcement of a new chief executive was delayed last week as the association faced a tough choice between three exceptional candidates, Ms Downs, London Councils chief executive John O’Brien, and acting head of Local Partnerships, Helen Bailey. LGA chairman, Sir Merrick Cockell, said the new chief executive would bring a ‘wealth of experience to the role, having worked at every tier of government nationally, regionally and locally – and for virtually every different type of local authority.’

Carolyn Downs said she was looking forward to getting to grips with the challenges facing the LGA and the sector as a whole. ‘As I know only too well from personal experience, these challenges place enormous pressures on local councils, their staff and their leaders.

The political leadership and I will work exceptionally hard to provide the support which local government and LGA members expect across the extraordinarily wide range of issues and services they cover.’

Starting her local government career as a library assistant, Ms Downs worked her way up the ranks to become chief executive of the county in 2003.

She was an integral part of the team credited with taking the county through unitary status in the last round of re-organisation before moving on to become deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice in 2009.

In March 2010, she was brought in as chief executive of the Legal Services Commission.