Telford council fears huge bill if chief executive quits
Monday 4th July 2011, 6:00PM BST.
TELFORD & WREKIN Council could be landed with a bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds if its chief executive is allowed to quit, it was claimed today.
Victor Brownlees has offered to take redundancy from the authority but Tory group leader Councillor Andrew Eade said his loss would be a disaster, saying the six-figure redundancy payment which would have to be paid to Mr Brownlees could be spent on services.
Councillor Eade spoke out after it was revealed on Friday that Mr Brownlees has put in a request for voluntary redundancy.
Mr Brownlees only took over in the town hall hot seat two years ago.
His arrival followed the departure of his predecessor, Steve Wellings.
Mr Brownlees’ move comes less than two months after Labour seized control of the authority from the Conservatives.
It is linked to a shake-up of top brass by the newly-elected Labour administration and its drive to make Telford & Wrekin a “Co-operative Council”.
Turmoil
Councillor Eade said: “The council is clearly in turmoil as the new administration struggles to get to grips with running the council.
He continued: “The redundancy costs of the chief executive will be high and will be hundreds of thousands of pounds which could otherwise be spent on frontline services.”
Councillor Eade also paid tribute to Mr Brownlees whom he said had been an “exceptional” chief executive.
He added: “Victor Brownlees brought a breath of fresh air to local government.
“He helped save £20 million in costs at the council to bring in the lowest council tax charge for a unitary authority in the Midlands.”
But Telford & Wrekin Council leader Councillor Kuldip Singh Sahota today rejected Councillor Eade’s claims.
The Labour supremo said: “Councillor Eade’s claims are utter nonsense and, unlike previous administrations, we will be making public any settlement figure.
“Councillor Eade has nothing to say other than attack the council while the new adminstration is working hard to deliver services within savage cuts imposed by his Government.”
By Simon Hardy
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Sounds like nest feathering to me.
If he doesn’t want the job, refuse his offer of redundancy, and let him hand his notice in and walk.
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If this person wants to go he is not interested in the people or the area he works for. I wonder if he would volunteer to go if he did not receive a redundancy package. Be a man of principal if you want to go do not take the money. Leave the job to someone who cares and is prepared to knuckle down and get on with the job not just add up his redundancy package.
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I don’t know anything about the background to this story, but Mr Brownlees is already on a six-figure salary.
I just hope he doesn’t become part of the merry-go-round of senior council officers receiving megabuck payoffs and moving straight into similar posts elsewhere.
I also hope that the council don’t retain his trade union, Solace (The Society of Local Authority Chief Executives or something similar), as consultants when they come to appoint a replacement (this is a common local authority practice). They’re very good at recommending suitable remuneration packages….
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Sounds as if someone cocked up?
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And who would be responsible for this fiasco? None other than Andrew Eade himself. He employed Mr Brownlees and somehow contrived a situation where the chief executive could depart with an eye-watering pay-off after only four years’ service. Could this be the future for local government – chief executives serving only four years between local elections and then demanding a lucrative pay-off when they don’t like the look of a new administration? It’s even better than Westminister!
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Under continuous service in local government, Mr Brownlees service in other authorities is counted. Any payment is based on full service in local government, not just time at Telford.
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“….the new adminstration is working hard to deliver services within savage cuts imposed by his Government.”
So the new leader admits that there will have to be cuts – imposed by a Conservative and Liberal coalition. Funny that Labour was courting the same Lib-Dems in their attempt to hold on to power after the election.
So if they don’t want to reduce staff – the biggest cost, or take advantage of reducing costs by moving out of what was supposed to be a car park, where will they save the money?
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This isn’t a case of apportioning blame for the situation – it’s necessary to look at why Mr Brownlees has made his offer to go.
The new Labour administration is proposing a ‘co-operative’ council. One deduces that this means ‘government by committee’ rather than direct leadership. And we all know the pun about the horse designed by a committee.
Any local authority chief executive expects to be just that – in charge. Not having his every decision, however trivial, picked over, dissected and inevitably delayed or disfigured by committees.
I have a certain amount of sympathy for Mr Brownlees – whatever the political direction set he has enjoyed a level of automony, authority and leadership which the new Council seems to want to undermine.
Whether this will bring better decision-making has to be questioned – wait for the first crisis that requires immediate action and we’ll see whether the Council machine is able to respond in a timely and constructive manner.
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POLITICS.what a load of tosh
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I the Chief Exec. position being made redundant? If not why should their be any payout? If he wishes to leave let him go but not with any tax payers money
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Simple ind out if he has used anything he should not have ie phone for personal calls etc and then sack him killed to birds with one stone. Sounds like he was not really the guy for the job anyway who interviewed him? clearly never asked him what were his hopes for the future .
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If he has just resigned then he is not entitled to anything unless their is a specific term in his contract. I suspect that the Council has agreed that his post is no longer necessary and he is therefore being made redundant. In this case he is entitled to his contractual redundancy pay based on hos length of service. If he is over 55 he is also entitled in law to claim his pension.
Telford will need to watch however. If they employ another Cheif Executive it could be easily argued that his post has not really been done away with and there is no genuine redundancy. There was a massive scandal in Scotland a couple of years ago where East Lothian Council got rid of their Cheif Executive, merged his duties with that of the finance director and employed a new Chief. After an enquiry it was found that there was no true redundancy as a Chief Executive is automatically the Chief Finance Officer of the Authority. In that instance the retired officer had to pay back his redundancy pay.
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How strange when the comrades take voluntary redundancy they accept a payment, yet when one of the bosses go those same comrades seem to think that it is most unpalatable to take the silver dollar.
Remember all animals are equal, until the comrades think otherwise :-0
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If the job of Chief Executive is being made redundant, the as he is filling that role then he would be entitled to redundancy pay, the council would then not be able to recruit someone else to that position as it no longer exists. If the role is not being made redundant then the post holder is not entitled to redundancy. So if the postion is the latter I can’t see how he can volunteer for redundancy.
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If this officer wishes to quit he can resign, serve and work his notice period and walk – why the need for any pay-off?
Anything to do with the pending change from the final salary to average earning pension scheme?
As most councils still require an ‘officer in charge’ redundancy is not actually appropriate action in this case perhaps a significant reduction in his salary (a la Shropshire Council employees) is!
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They wants him out, they pays up! Simple!
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As someone who has met Victor Brownlees, I can assure all readers that he is someone who takes his role and responsibility very seriously.
As many people will know he has actually been performing two roles i.e. head of children’s services and cheif executive.
If Mr Brownlees has asked for voluntary redundancy, then he must have good reason for that having moved to Telford from Ireland to take this role in the first place.
I am sure that all readers will appreciate that it is no small decision to contemplate moving yourself and your family such a great distance for the sake of a job!
I for one would ask our Labour council to consider this request for redundancy very carefully as Mr Brownlees will be a massive loss to the area.
That said, if Mr Brownlees’ role will be defunct under the newly shaped administration which is planned, then that is not his fault. It will follow from a political decision made by the elected councillors and Mr Brownless would be entitled to all the benefits / redundancy payments due to him under his contract of employment.
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