A district council which has agreed to pay five senior officers about £1 million in exit payments is facing further criticism over the move.
Unison has challenged Hambleton District Council’s leadership to offer the same opportunities to all its staff as members of neighbouring Richmondshire District Council said councillors elsewhere had failed to challenge “outstanding” pay-offs to senior officers on behalf of taxpayers.
The criticism follows Hambleton council approving a pay-off of about £225,000 for its chief executive Justin Ives, who North Yorkshire County Council had said would have no role at the county’s new unitary authority from April, and £770,000 for four directors of the council.
However, while the county council has said the four directors’ salaries would be protected at the new authority and that they would be given jobs, Tory-run Hambleton council’s leadership has said it did not believe they would be offered suitable roles and after many years of service they deserved the pay-offs.
As the payments were approved amid condemnation from members of his own Conservative group, Hambleton council leader Councillor Mark Robson said he would welcome the opportunity to offer a similar package to the council’s 400 full-time equivalent staff.
He told the meeting “at this stage there is no route” to offer the exit payments to less senior members of staff.
The district council has previously been the focus of criticism from the Taypayers Alliance over pay awards to senior officers.
Unison said it had written to Coun Robson calling for other staff to be treated equally.
Dean Harper, regional organiser for Unison, said: “We opposed these unnecessary payments to a few senior executives, but now the payments have been approved by councillors we believe it is only right and fair that all staff are offered the same opportunity.
“Councillors argued that these senior staff are loyal and hardworking, and that they are anxious about what the future holds for them at the new council.”
When asked about Unison’s challenge, Coun Robson said he had no further comment to make on the matter.
Meanwhile, a full meeting of neighbouring Richmondshire District Council heard the proposed £96,000 settlement for its exiting long-serving chief executive, Tony Clark did not include an enhanced payment and was “the correct and most pragmatic thing to do”.
The authority’s former leader, Conservative councillor Yvonne Peacock said other councils were paying “absolutely outstanding figures” to their senior officers.
She said: “We know what has been happening in other authorities, but this council is always very prudent and our chief executive has recognised this with what has been put forward.”
Councillor Stuart Parsons added Hambleton’s councillors had “swallowed what they were told and nobody questioned it when in fact they should have tried to approach it in the way we have”, saving a considerable amount of taxpayers’ money.
Applauding Mr Clark’s limited pay-off, Coun Parsons added: “His final act in leaving the council is to support the council taxpayers and I think that is quite special.”
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