ATTEMPTS to fill the top vacancy left by former Birmingham regeneration director Clive Dutton have failed so far after none of the candidates shortlisted for one of the biggest local authority jobs in the country were deemed good enough.
A national advertising campaign calling for someone with inspirational leadership qualities fizzled out embarrassingly after city council leaders told more than 50 applicants they were not suitable for the £153,000-a-year job.
Council chief executive Stephen Hughes will continue to take overall responsibility for regeneration on top of his other duties until someone can be appointed.
Mr Hughes has now been ordered to conduct a head-hunting exercise in an increasingly desperate attempt to find a candidate to take the place of Mr Dutton, who left Birmingham in September 2009 to take charge of delivering the Olympic Games legacy in the London borough of Newham.
It has been decided not to re-advertise for the time being on the grounds that the vacancy in Birmingham is already well known in the regeneration world.
The failure to appoint makes it virtually certain that Birmingham will be without a Strategic Director of Development for at least a year, adding to complaints from private sector firms about a lack of drive and vision in the city planning department.
