Controversy continues to dog Christchurch City Council chief executive Tony Marryatt, with a lone protestor the latest to call for his sacking.

Armed with a sign that said "Sack Marryatt", Papanui resident Gary Graham this afternoon stood vigil outside the Civic Offices in Hereford St.

"He's got to go,'' Graham told The Press.

"I don't know anything about him personally but either through his fault or not he is bringing too much disunity.

"It is not resolvable now; he is only going to hobble the council,'' Graham said.

Graham's protest follows revelations that Marryatt filed a personal grievance against the council in April. The grievance was settled before it got to the Employment Tribunal and Marryatt did not receive a payout, but the council reimbursed his legal costs.

Exactly how much those costs were is being kept under wraps but it is understood to be between $10,000 and $30,000.

Councillors discuss pay rises

Future pay increases for Christchurch City Council chief executive Tony Marryatt could rest on his ability to improve the council's engagement with the community.

At a meeting today to discuss the findings of a damning communications audit, the council's community recreation and culture committee voted unanimously to urgently review Marryatt's performance agreement with a view to setting key performance indicators (KPIs) on improved communication and public engagement.

"I feel very strongly that we need to get on and get this done,'' committee chairman Cr Yani Johanson said.

The communications audit released in July was commissioned by Marryatt and was done by public relations consultants Wilma Falconer and Felicity Price. It slammed the council for its bunker mentality and criticised it for its failure to engage with the public.

Marryatt said at the time the findings were released that he accepted all 13 recommendations put forward by Falconer and Price and was determined to change the culture of the council.

Johanson said today's move to add KPIs around communications and engagement into Marryatt's performance agreement was part of that culture change.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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