'Outstanding' Peter Gilroy was worth the money
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(l-r) Cllr Paul
Carter (Con), fire chief Charlie Hendry and chief constable Michael
Fuller have defended Peter Gilroy, pictured below.
Kent's top policeman and
head of the county's fire service have leapt to the defence of KCC
boss Peter Gilroy after it was revealed he is to get a £200,000
golden handshake.
The payment is on top of
his annual earnings of £244,000 - £55,000 more than the Prime
Minister.
But in a remarkable and
unprecedented show of solidarity, Kent's two other top public
servants Chief Constable Mike Fuller and Chief Fire Officer Charlie
Hendry have issued statements backing County Hall's chief
executive.
And KCC leader Cllr Paul
Carter (Con) today revealed that the payment was necessary to avoid
Mr Gilroy being "significantly disadvantaged" by changes in pension
rules.
Mr Fuller, who is also due to leave Kent to become the
Crown Prosecution Service Chief Inspector, said: "Peter has made a
significant contribution to crime reduction in Kent. He has chaired
the Kent Safer and Stronger Communities group with huge energy and
commitment and, through difficult challenges in reducing violent
crime, Peter has been unfailingly supportive of me and Kent Police.
We have built a very strong relationship between our two
organisations which has resulted in great benefit to the citizens
of Kent"
Mr Hendry said:"The fire
and rescue service in Kent has a great record of working with other
organisations to get better results, particularly with young people
and vulnerable older people. Peter Gilroy and KCC have been really
helpful and supportive and our work together goes from strength to
strength.”
Their comments were
contained within a statement released by KCC leader Cllr Paul
Carter defending the decision to make the payment to Mr Gilroy when
he stands down in May.
Cllr Carter said: "In
order to secure Peter’s extended service, in November 2006 the
county council's all-party personnel committee, including Labour,
Lib Dem and Conservative members, unanimously agreed a variation in
Mr Gilroy's contract brought about by changes in pension
legislation.
"The committee agreed
that without such a variation, he would have been significantly
disadvantaged by extending his contract with the authority.
“Peter Gilroy is an
outstanding public servant who has always been motivated by the
desire to make life better for Kent residents.
“He has earned a national
reputation for innovation in public service and he leads the
country in developing personalisation in adult social care, giving
back to some of society's most under-represented individuals as
much control over their lives as is possible.
“He initiated Kent's
Telehealth pilot which allows monitoring of health in the home and
he introduced the Kent Card so that people supported by adult
social services have greater freedom of choice over the services
they use. He developed the concept of Gateways, which deliver
better access to a wide range of public services under a single
roof.
"Peter's inspirational
leadership has delivered exceptional results for Kent County
Council and for Kent residents working closely with both the late
Lord Sandy Bruce-Lockhart and myself since March 2005. In
December 2009 Kent County Council was justifiably confirmed by the
Audit Commission as the best performing county council in the
country."
Thursday, February 04 2010
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