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.

Half a century in the chamber image

Half a century in the chamber

Cllr Dr James Walsh was elected to Arun District Council in 1975. Here he tells LocalGov what he's learned about trust, transformation and keeping it local.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Damp Surveyor

Royal Borough of Greenwich
PO4 - £49,056 - £52,194
Damp Surveyor (DMC)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Project Support Officer

Essex County Council
£28402.00 - £33413.00 per annum + pension
Project Support OfficerFixed Term, Full Time£28,402 up to £33,413 per annumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Park Operations Assistant (Great Notley Country Park)

Essex County Council
Up to £13.46 per hour
Park Operations Assistant (Great Notley Country Park)Permanent, Part Time£13.46 per hourLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Director of Legal and Governance

Cumbria Combined Authority
£109,000
The new Cumbria Combined Authority has been established to unlock that potential. Cumbria
Recuriter: Cumbria Combined Authority

Executive Director of Finance

Cumbria Combined Authority
£131,000
The new Cumbria Combined Authority has been established to unlock that potential. Cumbria
Recuriter: Cumbria Combined Authority
Linkedin Banner