TOP Thurrock Council directors, many who earn considerably more than £100,000 a year, are to get a four per cent pay rise - despite the objection of elected councillors who initially refused to pay it.

The news comes on the day that the council has announced it is axing a number of its established senior directors - who seem set to walk away from the authority with handsome redundancy payments.

They have been axed from their post because of the catastrophic financial failure of the council but while the council has got a policy in place of implementing basic statutory services for residents at the lowest level possible in a bid to save cash, it will not confirm that its outgoing staff will get the minimum statutory payments.

Some, Nub News understands, could walk away with severance packages as high as, or exceeding, £40,000.

They include senior officers responsible for the malfunctioning waste collection service, the botched A13 and Stanford rail station projects and the controversial building of the town hall. They've also overseen the cutting of bus services and a firesale of assets.

Not to mention the small matter of borrowing £1.5 billion pounds and turning a corporate blind eye to the shenanigans of fellow directors!

Among those to go are Karen Wheeler, the director of strategy, engagement and growth. Ironically it is just a matter of weeks since the council's new managing director commissioner, Dr Dave Smith, was heralding her performance and put her in charge of his newly instituted 'board of change'. Now he's sacked her, having assessed her capability for a job that pays £115,000 a year plus benefits!

Another on the chopping block is director of HR, organisational development and transformation Jackie Hinchliffe. She's got almost 16 years 'in the bank' with the council and can look forward to a hefty severance package. She's currently paid at least £2,210 a week.

Julie Rogers, the director of public realm who is responsible for the borough's waste collections and other environmental, has accepted a voluntary redundancy package. Her role comes with a £130,000 salary.

Those senior officers follow the path of the assistant director for planning, transport and public protection, Leigh Nicholson, who got his marching orders from his £100K plus job last week.

Thurrock Nub News asked what the terms of severance are likely to be. The government directive on minimum redundancy payments is quite specific. Discarded workers who are 41 or older should get one and half week's pay for each full year of service.

However, a limit is also in place and the weekly pay is capped at £643 and the maximum statutory redundancy pay workers should get is £19,290.

Ms Hinchliffe, for example, has been at the council for 16 years but has only served 15 full years so she should not get more than £9,645.

Organisations can, if they so choose, broker private or contractual agreements guaranteeing higher severance pay. 

The council has remained tight-lipped about its severance terms and Dr Smith has also declined to comment. A simple council statement issued today (Thursday, 17 August) says: "Thurrock Council cannot comment publicly on internal employment matters."

Several months ago, in his public pronouncement on the calamitous events at Thurrock Council, local government minister Lee Rowley made it clear he expected people to be held to account. He used the word 'dismissal' in his rhetoric.

Mr Rowley, in a public statement said: "The BVI report lays bare the failings in Thurrock Council's finance, governance, and leadership functions. It makes clear that these failings are the result of a breakdown of political and managerial leadership; inadequate governance arrangements; and profound weaknesses in the Council's control environment."

There is no doubt at all that there was a huge and significant failure and blame was laid at the door of senior officers.

Yet they are being allowed to walk away with little or no culpability. Just as former CEO Lyn Carpenter and its finance officer Sean Clark were also allowed to sit at home on garden leave and got paid out on their notice period.

'Dismissal' appears to have a different meaning if you're a high paid public servant.

And while the exit door at the town hall is revolving, those that remain inside can look forward to a hefty pay rise.

In June the council's general services committee unanimously voted against a pay rise of any sort for top officers.

Council leader Andrew Jefferies started the debate by saying: "I am struggling with this. The report says a four per cent increase could be seen as a reward for organisational failure, my struggle with this is any reward could be seen as a reward for failure."

His view was carried through as councillors thought they had to right to make a decision. They rejected the pay rise for assistant directors and directors that had been recommended by an independent assessment panel.

They were wrong.

Next week's meeting of the same committee will be told that the councillors do not have the power to stop a pay rise recommended by the panel, however badly the fat cats have performed. So they will have to approve the four per cent, which will be backdated to 1st April. Some council observers may think that's a highly appropriate day!