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06
Apr 2021
Senior Harrogate council officer who left suddenly paid £55,000
A senior Harrogate Borough Council officer who was responsible for the authority’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and left suddenly during the first lockdown was paid £55,065.
Paul Campbell, who was director of community for three and a half years, was paid the sum as part of a compensation for loss of office, according to the authority's latest statement of accounts.
Mr Campbell’s departure came just days after the first national lockdown was announced. As part of his role, he was the authority's gold commander for emergency planning which would have included responding to the pandemic.
According to the statement of accounts, £20,650 was included in the sum as a payment in lieu of notice. The director of community has an annual salary of £89,727.
The document also said the role of director of community was vacant from March 29. The council has since not replaced Mr Campbell.
Read more:
- Questions over sudden departure of Harrogate council department head
- Plans in to transform Crescent Gardens into offices
The Stray Ferret asked the borough council what the circumstances were around his departure, how it arrived at the payment sum and how his leaving impacted on the council’s covid response.
A spokeswoman for Harrogate Borough Council said:
While no explanation has been given for Mr Campbell's departure, a source who worked closely with him told the Stray Ferret at the time:
Mr Campbell's role included overseeing a range of council services range including housing, parks, waste and health and safety.
He was also lead director for the UCI World Cycling Championships, which cost the council more than £600,000 and saw global audiences of more than 300 million. However, it left many town retailers unhappy and caused damage to the West Park Stray - which later cost the council £130,000 to restore.
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