Government measures issued this week aimed at making it easier to dismiss council chief executives will increase costs and cause chaos, council chiefs have warned.

Speaking from The MJ's Future Forum event, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives director Graeme McDonald told The MJ secondary legislation laid by ministers on Wednesday would prove counterproductive.

Under the new measures, that do away with the previous need to appoint a ‘designated independent person' (DIP) – usually a senior lawyer with QC status who reviews dismissal and disciplinary cases involving top council officers - such decisions would be taken openly by full council, subject to advice proffered by the independent local standards panel.