William Eichler 02 February 2024

Council officer hands police file on £1m pay-outs

Council officer hands police file on £1m pay-outs   image
Image: John Gomez / Shutterstock.com.

A file relating to allegedly unlawful exit payments to managers at Northumberland County Council has been handed to police, Northumbria Police has confirmed.

Last July, a review of six severance payments totalling more than £1m made by Northumberland CC to senior officers were declared ‘unlawful’ by the council’s section 151 officer.

Jan Willis found the payments, which were made between May 2017 and May 2022, were ‘not subject to scrutiny’ or approval by councillors.

In November, the matter was referred to the police.

On Wednesday, monitoring officer Stephen Gerrard informed the council’s audit committee that he has provided the police with a ‘substantial file’ for consideration and said it would be ‘inappropriate’ to elaborate any further.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm we received correspondence from Northumberland County Council on January 25. We are currently reviewing that material.’

The council has been contacted for comment.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Service Director - Finance

Isle of Wight Council
£95,212 to £102,389
We need a talented and experienced Service Director of Finance to join us and play a pivotal role Isle of Wight
Recuriter: Isle of Wight Council

Strategic Director of Finance and Deputy Chief Executive (Section 151)

Isle of Wight Council
£120,536 to £129,500
Strategic Director of Finance and Deputy Chief Executive (Section 151) Isle of Wight
Recuriter: Isle of Wight Council

Service Director - Education

Isle of Wight Council
£95,212 to £102,389
This is a great time to join our Children’s Services senior leadership team as a Service Director for Education where you’ll provide system leadership Isle of Wight
Recuriter: Isle of Wight Council

Class Teacher (Primary)

Durham County Council
£32,916- £51,048
Primary School Class Teacher M1-UPS3 (£32,916  - £52,149) Permanent, Full-time Contract to begin in September 2026.   The Governors of this happy and Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

SEND Inclusion Partner

Essex County Council
£44258.0000 - £52068.0000 per annum
SEND Inclusion PartnerPermanentPart Time, 22.2 hours per week£44,258 to £52,068 per annum FTE, £26,554.80 to £31,240.80 per annum (pro rata)Location
Recuriter: Essex County Council
Linkedin Banner