Former financier David Bick has stood firm in the face of opposition claims that the recruitment of Dennis Bacon was flawed and rushed.

Mr Bacon, the former chairman of the Norfolk Independent Care Association and a Norwich hotel owner, was appointed despite 18 councillors voting against the hire.

A total of 45 members backed the move.

Dennis Bacon was formally appointed by councillors earlier this month (Image: Norfolk County Council)

Opposition criticised the fact that Mr Bacon was interviewed by the council's cross-party panel for “barely” an hour, and further questioned why no psychometric testing had been carried out.

Some also pointed to the fact that Mr Bacon stood down as a director of care provider Apple Homecare only on June 30 - days after Mr McCabe's resignation - with the Care Quality Commission's last inspection rating the company as requiring improvement, including on leadership.

However, Mr Bick has argued the process was thorough, insisting Mr Bacon had been heavily vetted by council officers long before reaching interview stage.

County Hall (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Bacon was one of four candidates to reach........

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