Title

East Lothian Council has denied its chief executive recommended his own redundancy payment amid calls for an inquiry into the £300,000 deal. The council's leader Cllr Norman Murray has refuted suggestions chief executive John Lindsay recommended his own redundancy as part of restructuring at the council's budget meeting last month. The department of the chief executive and the department of corporate finance and IT are to be merged with a cut in director's posts from five to four. And under new redundancy rules adopted by the council this year, anyone taking voluntary redundancy is entitled to up to 66 weeks' final – more than £130,000 for Mr Lindsay. Cllr Murray said: ‘The chief executive's retiral is a direct consequence of a decision taken by us at a political level. John Lindsay did not advise us to make him redundant nor did he propose the elimination of his own department.' But the deal, which will see Mr Lindsay, 60, leave the council in July after more than 40 years in local government with £131,411 in redundancy, a retirement lump-sum of £155,000 and a pension of £55,000 a year, has been heavily criticised. The council's only SNP councillor David Berry said he would be asking the Accounts Commission to look into the deal. He told The Scotsman: ‘This severance payment has added insult to injury.' And SNP MSP Kenny MacAskill said: ‘There is something rotten at the heart of East Lothian Council. ‘With council tax bills having rocketed and council workers facing pay restraint this sticks in the craw of workers and citizens alike.' However, council leader Cllr Murray is adamant the plans, backed by the Tory opposition, are in the interest of council taxpayers. He said: ‘We remain convinced that this was the right decision, designed to save £400,000 over the next four years and to make for more efficient government.' A new chief executive will be selected from among the remaining four directors.

Title

FINANCE

Council denies chief's 'self-service' payoff

SUBSCRIBE TO CONTINUE READING