Two of the most senior jobs in British policing paying more than £200,000 a year have attracted only one applicant each, the Guardian has learned.

The roles were deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan police and chief constable of Merseyside police, based in Liverpool.

Senior figures in policing and in government are concerned about a lack of talent at the top of policing.

Rob Carden, the chief of Cumbria, will become the new leader of the Merseyside force. While he was the only candidate to apply, he would have been a strong contender had he faced competition.

Matt Jukes, a Met assistant commissioner and head of counter-terrorism, was the sole applicant to be deputy commissioner of the London force, replacing Lynne Owens, who is standing down.

While the formal application process for the Met deputy commissionership is yet to be completed, senior sources say it is a virtual certainty that Jukes will get the job on a permanent basis.

The post of Met deputy commissioner carries a salary of more than £250,000 a year and is an appointment by royal warrant. The home secretary makes the selection having given due regard to the views of London’s mayor.

Jukes is already earmarked to serve as interim deputy commissioner and would have been a strong candidate even if he had faced competition.

Becoming Met deputy commissioner will make Jukes a favourite be the next commissioner of the Met whenever Mark Rowley stands down.

His most likely rival for the top job in British policing is Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester police. Rowley’s five-year contract is due to expire by September 2027.

Jukes’s interim promotion means Britain will get a new head of counter-terrorism, a role to be filled for at least six months by Vicki Evans.

Previously, the head of counter-terrorism had always come from the Met, but Evans previously served in the Cambridgeshire force and before that the Dyfed-Powys force in Wales, before being appointed as senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism.

If Jukes becomes deputy head of the Met on a permanent basis, the role of Britain’s top counter-terrorism officer will be advertised.

Also stepping up is Richard Smith, a Met officer, who becomes acting senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism. A key part of that role is declaring when an act of violence, such as last weekend’s crossbow attack on two women in Leeds, is an act of terrorism.

Andy Marsh, the head of the College of Policing, said the quality of the pool of chief officers had been left to deteriorate to such an extent that at one stage “a third of chief officer jobs were occupied by temporary office holders”.

Marsh said recent changes had trebled the numbers coming through, but improvements would take time.

“The supply chain of qualified officers for senior jobs was woefully weak. The reforms should dramatically improve that. I am concerned about the low number of applicants for all chief officer jobs,” he said.

Another senior policing source said there was a “dearth of talent” among police leaders, and in part the system of police and crime commissioners was one reason for that. PCCs are elected politicians who oversee forces, often with limited experience of policing. The source said: “There’s no checks and balances on who they choose.”

A government source said it was boosting leadership training and standards and added: “It’s essential to have a quality talent pool at the top of policing.”

The Merseyside chief constable is appointed by the area’s police and crime commissioner and earns a salary of more than £200,000 a year.

Carden has served most of his career in the Merseyside force and is expected to be confirmed as chief constable next week by the area’s police and crime panel.

Emily Spurrell, Merseyside’s PCC, said: “There was only one candidate who applied for the chief constable role. It is important to note that senior policing appointments of this nature often attract a limited number of applicants due to the role’s complexity, public visibility and the high level of responsibility involved in policing a high-performing force.

“The preferred candidate met the eligibility and experience requirements and was subjected to a rigorous interview process. Ultimately, the integrity of the process and the suitability of the candidate are what matter most.”

The careers of the current Met commissioner, Rowley, and his new deputy, Jukes, are strikingly similar. Both served as chief constables before the Met, with Jukes leading the South Wales force and Rowley the Surrey force.

Both were seen as modernisers, with Jukes’s force pioneering the use of facial recognition technology, both have served as head of counter-terrorism and both are originallyfrom the West Midlands.