York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has revealed how much a senior director was paid in redundancy after a challenge by the Stray Ferret.

Simon Dennis, who was corporate director for policing, fire and crime on a salary of £100,950, left the authority on January 1 this year.

Mr Dennis was previously chief executive of the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, a position he held since 2021.

However, his role changed after the commissioner’s powers were transferred to the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire in May 2024 and the Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning was formed.

In January, Rachel Antonelli, head of legal and monitoring officer at the combined authority, told a North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel meeting that Mr Dennis had requested voluntary redundancy from the combined authority.

At the time, the combined authority declined to reveal to the Stray Ferret the sum paid to the former director.

It refused to reveal the figure a second time in March when requested to under the Freedom of Information Act. The combined authority said the information was exempt from disclosure because it “would breach one or more data protection principles”.

However, following a request by the Stray Ferret for an internal review into the decision not to disclose the figure, the combined authority has now revealed how much Mr Dennis was paid.

The Stray Ferret challenged the decision on the grounds that the issue was a matter of use of public money and transparency on behalf of the combined authority.

The authority said the former director was given a redundancy package totalling £95,177.21.

This included:

• Voluntary redundancy - £53,741.21
  
• Payment in lieu of notice - £26,436
  
• Outstanding lieu/flexi - £15,000
  

The combined authority maintained that its application of the exemption in its original freedom of information response was compliant with the law.

But, it added: