Carmarthenshire County Council has been urged not to hand its chief executive a pay off following his application for severance.
Revelations earlier this year of controversial pension top up payments to Mark James ‘left trust in the county council at an all-time low’, according to Welsh Assembly member Rhodri Glyn Thomas.
Mr Glyn Thomas, Plaid Cymru AM for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, said Mr James should not be given severance pay.
‘If Mr James wants to leave then that is a matter for him, but I believe no more public money should be paid out for his departure,’ he said. ‘The local authority desperately needs a political reboot in order to move Carmarthenshire forward.’
The controversy erupted after reports from Wales Audit Office (WAO) into Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire county councils allowing senior officers to opt-out of the Local Government Pension Scheme. The WAO found Labour-led Carmarthenshire acted unlawfully in handing Mr James top ups as compensation for exiting the scheme.
It prompted police to launch an investigation into pension payments to officers at both councils.
In a statement, Carmarthenshire CC confirmed an application for severance had been received from Mr James and would be ‘considered in line with the other 360 or so applications that have been received from staff to date’.
It added: ‘As is the case with all applications there is a process to be followed to consider each application over the next three to four months.
‘During this period, it will be business as usual for Mr James who will continue in his role as chief executive. We will provide updated information as and when appropriate.’
