Issue - meetings

Exempt Report from the Assistant Chief Executive – Report to follow

The committee were asked to consider confidential information pertaining to the early retirement of the Chief Executive and consensual termination of his contract with the council. Essentially under pensions regulations there were only two grounds to release pension funds to Chief Officers, this was through business efficiency or through redundancy.  Further, those funds can be released immediately and without reduction if the Chief Officer has attained the age of 55. The case put forward to the Corporate Committee, for agreeing the early release of pension benefits to the Chief Executive, was based on business efficiency.

 Following consideration of the report and information provided by officers to questions, some members of the committee remained unconvinced of the business efficiency case  put forward on evidential grounds, but the majority of the committee agreed to recommend to full Council :(subject to  the outcome of the Special Committee’s decision  on the  employment of the Chief Executive)

1. That in accordance with 19(1) (b) of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Benefits, Membership and Contributions) Regulations 2007, as an employing authority and on the grounds of business efficiency having been made out for the reasons set out in the report, it was in the interests of the authority that the Chief Executive should leave its employment. The committee authorised the immediate payment of retirement pension to the Chief Executive without reduction on condition that full Council (acting on the recommendation of the Special Committee) confirms that it is in the interests of the authority that the Chief Executive should leave its employment.

2. The committee noted the financial implications of the release of benefits as detailed at paragraph 4 together with the Chief Financial Officer’s comments.

3. The committee noted that subject to approval of recommendation 2.1, the capital costs arising from the pension fund for the early release of benefits would be fully met from the Council’s general fund.

4. Councillor Wilson, Councillor Whyte, Councillor Jenks and Councillor Strang requested that their dissent to the above resolutions be noted.