‘No scrutiny’ of plan that gave senior council staff £1m pay-out

Glasgow Metropolis CouncilAnnemarie O’Donnell was one in every of 5 senior workers who departed between 2021 and 2024Five senior members of Glasgow Metropolis Council acquired greater than £1m in early retirement and redundancy pay-outs from restructuring proposals which didn’t obtain any impartial scrutiny, a report has discovered.The Accounts Fee mentioned the proposals appeared to have been accredited by a few of the people who instantly benefited.The 5 senior workers who left the council between 2021 and 2024 included former chief government Annemarie O’Donnell.The regulator mentioned the actions of the senior workers “fell wanting the values and ideas each public sector employee and councillor are anticipated to comply with”.A spokesman for Glasgow Metropolis Council mentioned motion had already been taken to enhance scrutiny.The pay-outs got here as town council grappled with ongoing finances cuts and makes an attempt to economize.In 2021, Ms O’Donnell and different senior officers accredited a senior administration “restructure” following a report by Robert Anderson, who was at the moment the council’s head of HR.Among the many restructuring plans had been monetary phrases for the departures of 5 officers at a complete value of £1.035m.The officers included Ms O’Donnell and Mr Anderson. The others had been Carole Forrest, solicitor to the council and director of governance; Anne Connolly, principal adviser to the chief government; and Elaine Galletly, head of authorized and administration.The overall bundle included £268,000 in redundancy funds and £770,000 in additional pension prices.Nevertheless, the plans and the restructuring report weren’t mentioned or shared with councillors.The Accounts Fee report mentioned there had been an absence of applicable scrutiny, transparency and accountability within the course of, and that doable conflicts of curiosity ought to have been apparent to the senior officers.It mentioned this displayed a “lack of judgement” as impartial scrutiny ought to have been utilized.PA MediaThe administration restructuring was accredited in 2021 Ms O’Donnell’s early retirement, aged 59, had been justified on the grounds of “effectivity” below the restructuring plan. The Accounts Fee mentioned her departure, after a decade within the publish, was “notably tough” to justify on the grounds of value financial savings and succession planning, because the publish of chief government nonetheless remained inside the council. It mentioned “the rationale for the previous chief government’s retirement contributing to efficiencies was, at greatest, unclear”. Ms O’Donnell’s early retirement in Could 2024 would have value the council £317,000 in pension fund prices, however she has since agreed to repay the cash.Her departure got here after:Carole Forrest left in April 2021 with a £95,000 voluntary separation paymentAnne Connolly left in July 2021 with pension and redundancy advantages of just below £192,000Robert Anderson left in January 2023 with pension and redundancy advantages of just below £148,000Elaine Galletly left in September 2023 with pension and redundancy advantages totalling £283,000The council’s personal impartial investigation into the matter, carried out by legislation agency Brodies and in addition utilized by the auditors, discovered no proof to counsel any of the 5 officers acted improperly, nevertheless it had “given the looks of a battle of curiosity”. The Brodies report mentioned the exit phrases supplied to 4 of the previous officers had been in step with council insurance policies, however that these supplied to Ms O’Donnell weren’t “lawfully accredited”. Andrew Burns, the deputy chair of the Accounts Fee, described the report as “alarming” and mentioned taxpayers can be troubled at how their cash was being spent.”The actions taken by a bunch of senior workers at Glasgow Metropolis Council fell wanting the values and ideas each public sector employee and councillor are anticipated to comply with,” he mentioned.”There was a failure to deal with and doc how potential conflicts of curiosity had been thought of, and a failure to exhibit how the guiding ideas of working within the public sector – specifically selflessness, integrity and objectivity – had been utilized.”Scottish Conservative finance and native authorities spokesman Craig Hoy known as the report “damning”Glasgow Metropolis Council’s deputy chief Richard Bell, who beforehand known as for the officers to return their pay-outs, mentioned “fairly extraordinary steps” needed to be taken to determine what occurred.He added: “Whereas neither the impartial, exterior evaluate or this report from the fee make for snug studying, they do give us a base to construct belief and confidence from – and, I feel, additionally they function an necessary warning to different public our bodies.”Glasgow had already moved shortly to vary processes and permit elected members correct oversight when senior officers depart the council, which is famous on this report.”Members should now make certain the council displays on the fee’s findings and makes use of them to drive ahead a change in tradition.”Scottish Conservative finance and native authorities spokesman Craig Hoy mentioned the report “may hardly be extra damning” for the council.”Glasgow’s SNP-run council rode roughshod over the foundations and, in consequence, departing officers acquired eye-watering payouts with little to no oversight,” he mentioned.