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

Administration Officer

Durham County Council
Grade 5 £26,403 - £28,598 (Pay award pending)
Are you an organised and proactive administrator who is passionate about supporting learners to achieve their potential? Join DurhamLearn and become Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Highways Trainer (2 Posts)

Derbyshire County Council
£35,422 - £38,730
Are you passionate about developing people and ensuring compliance across a complex operational service? Derbyshire
Recuriter: Derbyshire County Council

Family Support Parenting Practitioner

Gloucestershire County Council
£33,143 - £36,363
Join our dedicated team in Children's Services and make a real difference in the lives of children and families across Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire
Recuriter: Gloucestershire County Council

Children and Families Senior Social Worker/ Social Worker

Gloucestershire County Council
£39,152 - £47,181
We are currently recruiting for Social Workers and Senior Social Workers in all our locality teams. Gloucestershire
Recuriter: Gloucestershire County Council

Family Drug and Alcohol Court Social Worker

Gloucestershire County Council
£39,152- £47,181 per annum
Gloucestershire Children's Service are looking for an FDAC Social Worker to join the Tewkesbury Children and Families team. Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Recuriter: Gloucestershire County Council
Linkedin Banner