MYSTERY surrounds the fate of one of Thurrock Council's senior officers, who has reportedly been put on 'garden leave' and whose future with the council is believed to be a subject for consideration by a committee of leading councillors.

Council lawyer Ian Hunt, whose appointment to the council as Interim Assistant Director – Legal, and Monitoring Officer was announced in November 2019, has disappeared from the council radar in recent weeks.

Matters he would normally deal with have been handled by his deputy.

His initial period as interim was followed by confirmation of his appointment to the permanent staff, for which he is paid around £100,000 a year.

Since his appointment Mr Hunt has been closely associated with a number of decisions in which the council's integrity and compliance with its constitution and local government law has been questioned.

Recently an important meeting of the cabinet was cancelled minutes before it was due to start after Nub News pointed out it was not legally compliant, one of the responsibilities of Mr Hunt and his team.

Several councillors have also publicly complained about a lack of response on legal matters and directives from Mr Hunt's office that they feel are unfair.

Nub News has approached Thurrock Council for a comment but it has declined to respond.

However, a senior member of the Conservative ruling group told Nub news Mr Hunt was on "garden leave" and members of the council's general services committee, which has had a meeting called suddenly for next Wednesday (8 December) have told Nub News they expect Mr Hunt's position to be discussed.

An item on the agenda for the meeting simply says 'Employment matter' - report to follow.

Over recent months the number of senior officers employed by Thurrock Council has risen significantly, with more than 226 staff paid more than £50,000 at the last count and 25 of those are around £100,000 or more.

At last week's full council meeting Conservatives voted through two new 'political' posts at a cost of around £50,000 each - at the same time as the meeting heard the council was looking to axe 500 posts, including many of the front line of care and service.