- Former chief exec had led major shake-up of the way the county council was run
- Council has now dished out more than 600,000 to pay off last two chief execs
- Authority has paid out 10.08m in 'exit packages' to staff made between 2011-2012
By Andrew Levy
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Big pay out: Former Kent County Council chief Katherine Kerswell got a 589,165 pay off from Kent County Council
A council chief who lasted just 20 months in her job was given a 589,165 pay-off, the local authority has been forced to admit.
Katherine Kerswell left Kent County Council in December.
The council had refused to disclose details of the settlement, saying it was subject to a confidentiality agreement. But it was forced to declare the sum under new transparency rules on executive pay.
Its Conservative administration insisted at the time that her departure was part of a cost-saving reorganisation. But there was also speculation she had fallen out with colleagues and councillors.
It is thought to be one of the highest ever remuneration packages for a council manager, and is more than four times the Prime Minister’s 142,500 salary.
The statement of accounts for 2011-12 revealed that Mrs Kerswell, 49, received 139,806 of her 197,000 salary, 420,000 in redundancy payments and a 29,359 pension contribution.
Robert Oxley, campaign manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said the council had shown ‘scant regard’ to value for taxpayers’ money.
He added: ‘Councils may have a legal requirement to make a redundancy pay-out, but this is staggeringly excessive.
‘Councillors need to scrap the overly generous contracts that make these deals possible before any more money is blown on gargantuan redundancy pay-offs.’
Expensive business: Kent County Council headquarters. A total of 10.08million has been paid in 'exit packages' to staff between 2011 and 2012
Mrs Kerswell had a 197,136 salary in her previous job as chief executive of Northamptonshire County Council. She had defended the pay deal by saying it was equal to only 29p for each person in the county.
She was also lampooned at the time for her ‘Taste the Strawberry’ campaign – management speak that was meant to represent the overall ‘flavour’ of the council’s services and help it to improve its performance.
She moved to Kent in March 2010 and oversaw a shake-up of the way the county council was run under its ‘Change To Keep Succeeding’ programme, which involved a cull of senior directors.
Kent County Council, which needs to make savings of 97million this year, paid out 10.8million in so-called ‘exit packages’ to about 1,000 staff in 2011-12. This included 172,000 to the authority’s former finance director, Lynda McMullan, who left in September last year and now works for the National Audit Office.
History: The council gave the chief executive who Ms Kerswell replaced a 200,000 pay off
Council leader Paul Carter said: ‘Removing chief executive posts is what more and more councils should be doing.
‘Employment law and contractual obligations mean we have to pay significant redundancy costs, but it will save a fortune in the long run. Our council is now being guided by officers who have worked their way up and know what life is like from a Kent taxpayer’s perspective.’
Last year it emerged that Phil Dolan, the former chief executive of South Somerset District Council, which has just 162,000 residents, had received a redundancy package of almost 570,000.
The transparency rules which forced the council to reveal Mrs Kerswell’s pay were introduced by the Coalition government.
Local Government Minister Grant Shapps last night criticised Mrs Kerswell’s pay deal as ‘deeply concerning’. He said: ‘I find dipping into the public purse to make such an eye-watering pay-off unacceptable.’
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Food-ban covenant on proposed store site - This is South Devon
A COVENANT preventing the selling of food may have to be lifted if plans for a new Morrisons store in Torquay are to go ahead.
Developers behind the 21,140sq ft project at the former DIY site in Babbacombe Road may need to get the 1984 restriction removed in addition to the usual planning permission.
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PROPOSAL: An impression of the Babbacombe Road store
Torbay Council says it is not currently in negotiations about removing the covenant.
The news comes as a public exhibition was held to show residents and businesses what is being proposed.
Nick Kilby, spokesman for the project, said: "There was a remarkably positive reaction to it. Our feedback shows 86 per cent were in favour of development. There were people there who want a superstore but also those who just like Morrisons itself. There are definite indications that people would use it instead of travelling further away, then top up their shop locally."
Neighbouring Otter Nurseries last week said it will be staying put, but an artist impression for the new store does not include the garden centre and officials at the public meeting claimed they were looking for alternative premises. Otter Nurseries declined to comment.
The site would have room for 176 cars, some parking on where Otter Nurseries currently is. Addressing fears over the impact over additional transport, planners said there would be a 'moderate' increase with service vehicles themselves using a separate yard to the rear of the store.
Irene Yates was attending with her daughter Jude and raised concerns over another superstore for the town potentially taking trade away from shops.
Mrs Yates said: "There are too many supermarkets in Torbay. Then there is the traffic. It's just not cut out for a supermarket."
Resident John Bourne said "The reason the covenant was put there all that time ago was to protect Wellswood and Babbacombe from exactly this type of plan.
"If it wasn't for the covenant there would have been a food store there a long time ago. What else could they put in other than another DIY store?"
Source: www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk
Kent lose out to Essex in thrilling style - Kent News
Kent's Sam Billings. Picture by Ady Kerry.
Greg Miles, Twitter: @greg_KOS_sport
Thursday, June 21, 2012
10:59 AM
Last over drama sees Spitfires lose by three runs
Kent looked on course for victory over rivals Essex in the t20 until a collapse of wickets led to a thrilling run chase in the final overs.
Essex hit 158 for 6 in their 20 overs, which wasn’t an unreachable target.
And Jimmy Adams’s side looked on course for victory until the 17th over, when they were 118 for three, but Greg Smith took five wickets in two overs as Kent could only add another 37 runs, falling just four short of victory in the final over.
A six-run penalty against Essex for a slow over-rate moved Kent’s chase closer but with four needed to win off the final ball, Graham Napier bowled last man Mark Davies.
Kent were initially on the backfoot on 23 for two with David Masters taking the wickets of Rob Key, and Azhar Mahmood early on. Sam Billings and Brendan Nash shared a fourth-wicket stand of 54 in seven overs to steady the ship.
But then came Smith’s contribution, first he took Billings for 59, and Nash in successive deliveries. Then Geraint Jones went for one, and Sam Northeast, after two sixes, and Matt Coles were also dismissed.
With Kent needing four runs to win on the final ball Davies was bowled by Napier.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk
Every local council authority anywhere in the world is just another name for ratepayer funded public trough, only available to the snouts of council pigs.
- Len, Perth Australia, 17/6/2012 03:03
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