Council under pressure over Kerswell departure
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by political editor Paul Francis
Kent County Council is under further pressure over the news that
its managing director is to quit and is reported to be walking away
with a six-figure payoff.
Unison said reports that Katherine Kerswell is in line for a
settlement worth £450,000 were a smack in the face for its staff
and demoralising at a time when hundreds of lower paid staff had
lost their jobs at County Hall.
KCC finally confirmed that Katherine Kerswell will leave this
month after weeks denying that it had any plans to axe her post -
despite mounting rumour and speculation.
Mrs Kerswell, who has not been at her desk for the best part of
a month, is only 16 months into a four-year contract.
Unison branch secretary David Lloyd said: "It is demoralising
for our members to see this at a time when they are struggling to
save their own jobs and would never get anywhere near this kind of
payout even if they had worked for 20 years or more. It really is a
smack in the face," he said.
Opposition parties said it was disgraceful that taxpayers were
being kept in the dark over how much she will walk away with. They
also raised questions about why she was receiving any payout if she
was resigning.
KCC says it has signed a confidential agreement, meaning it
cannot say what the terms of the settlement are. However, some
details will have to be published next year when the authority
publishes its annual accounts as part of new government
transparency regulations.
Labour opposition leader Cllr Gordon Cowan said: "This is public
money and after all, it will be taxpayers’ who fund this. KCC
should be upfront and say exactly how much she is getting. It will
have to come out at some point but they should say so
immediately."
Liberal Democrat spokesman Cllr Tim Prater echoed: "From the
statement the council has put out, it reads like she has resigned.
If she did, why is she being paid off at all? That is the question
every taxpayer in Kent deserves an answer to."
Mrs Kerswell joined the county council in March 2010 from
Northamptonshire county council following the departure of former
chief executive Peter Gilroy.
A statement released by KCC said: "Katherine Kerswell has done
an exceptional job at Kent reshaping our approach to service
delivery and recasting our overall management arrangements.
"She is a first-rate public servant with tremendous skills at
making large organisations work well. Her management direction has
helped produce very significant savings to the council and
confirmed Kent’s position as a leading authority."
Monday, December 12 2011
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