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28
Feb
Secret council employee receives huge redundancy payout
A council employee received a £322,000 redundancy payment as part of a North Yorkshire Council 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 is raising council tax by the maximum 4.99% and is trying to find £6 million savings.
The council embarked on a restructuring process after it was formed in April 2023, which included making some former district council staff redundant.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council who the employee was who received the £322,000 payment and why the figure was so high.
A spokesperson said:
The payment was for contractual and statutory redundancy and pension entitlements under the employee’s contract. The payment was linked to their role and the length of time in service.
The payment was made following a restructure with the launch of North Yorkshire Council and significant savings for staffing costs are being recovered through local government reorganisation.
The council did not name the former employee. The Stray Ferret is to submit a freedom of information request asking who the payment was to and what position they held.
56 exit payments
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.
In April 2023, the Stray Ferret reported that North Yorkshire Council was set to make three former district council senior managers redundant at a cost of £513,700.
None of the officers were former employees of the former Harrogate Borough Council and the payments were split by £107,000, £108,000 and £298,000.
Wallace Sampson, former chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council.
At the time, Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of the council, said the authority aimed to save £3.7 million in senior officers' pay.
However, some senior managers agreed exit packages prior to North Yorkshire Council being established.
Wallace Sampson, the former chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, received £101,274 in a redundancy pay-out.
The payment was approved by Harrogate borough councillors in December 2022 — four months before the new unitary authority was established.
Mr Sampson’s settlement was made up of a contractual £71,633 redundancy payment and £29,641 for a 12-week notice period.
Meanwhile, Paul Shevlin, chief executive of the former Craven District Council, agreed a redundancy payout of £80,366 in December 2022.
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