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03
Apr
Council declines to reveal identity of employee who received £322,000 payment
North Yorkshire Council has refused to reveal the name of a council employee who received a £322,000 redundancy payment after a restructuring process.
According to the authority’s recently published accounts for 2023/24, the unnamed employee received the highest exit package made in the time period.
It comes at a time when the council has increased council tax by the maximum 4.99% and is trying to find £6 million savings.
The Stray Ferret submitted a freedom of information request to the authority requesting the name of the employee and the position they held.
A council response said it held the information, but it was exempt from disclosure as to do so would breach one or more principles of the Data Protection Act 1998.
The authority added:
As this was a senior post and there is no one else with the same job title in this case we consider that disclosure of the job title would breach the first principle, namely that personal information must be fairly and lawfully processed and must meet one of the conditions for processing as provided by schedule 2 of the Act.
In this case we consider that the disclosure would be unfair and none of the conditions for processing would be met.
The council previously told the Stray Ferret in a statement that the payment was for “contractual and statutory redundancy and pension entitlements under the employee’s contract”.
The payment was linked to the employee’s role and length of time in service. It was also made at a time when the council was restructuring its workforce following its launch in April 2023.
According to the council’s accounts, a total of 56 exit packages were agreed during the 2023/24 financial year at a total cost of £1.7 million.
Three payments were made within the £100,000 and £150,000 bracket, which in total cost taxpayers £352,000.
Meanwhile, the council agreed 32 exit packages under £20,000 each which in total cost £193,000.
The Stray Ferret intends to challenge the council’s reasons for refusing to disclose the identity of the staff member on the grounds that the council has a duty to be transparent and the public interest outweighs the reasons for exemption.
Council reveals councillor identity
The council has revealed the identity of a councillor who had an interest in organisations which were paid £498,000.
According to the authority’s statement of accounts for 2023/24, one councillor had interests in a business, a community group and was a governor at a school federation which received thousands in cash.
Cllr Yvonne Peacock.
Following a freedom of information request, the council has revealed that Cllr Yvonne Peacock, a Conservative who represents the Upper Dales division, was the elected member referenced in the report.
The payments, which are recorded as related party transactions in the accounts, included £41,000 to James Peacock Private Hire based in Bainbridge, Leyburn, which Cllr Peacock is a partner at. The council used the company for services.
It also included £441,000 in funding to the Upper Dales Community Partnership, which is based in Hawes, which Cllr Peacock had an interest in and £16,000 to Bainbridge Church of England Primary and Nursery School which she was a governor at.
Councillors have to declare organisations which they have an interest in and include them in the register of members' interests.
The council said elected members of the authority were not involved in any discussions or decisions over funding to organisations which councillors had an interest in.
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