The chief executive of Carmarthenshire County Council has agreed to step down until the end of a police probe.
Mark James will no longer undertake his duties until police enquiries into the findings of the Wales Audit Office (WAO) have concluded.
The WAO found the council’s decision to allow its senior officers to opt out of the Local Government Pension Scheme was ‘unlawful’.
It also found the council had acted unlawfully by granting an indemnity to Mr James to bring a libel counterclaim against an individual.
Mr James said he was ‘absolutely certain’ that neither he nor any of his officers had done anything wrong but that it was ‘only right and proper’ that he should not be in the office while the police conducted their enquiries to ‘avoid any perception of undue influence being brought to bear’.
In a statement, council leader, Cllr Kevin Madge, said: ‘By mutual agreement, the chief executive Mark James will no longer undertake his duties as chief executive from now until police enquiries concerning the two Wales Audit Office public interest reports have been concluded.’
