The leader of Northumberland County Council has called for a full investigation after concerns were raised that millions of pounds in taxpayer cash may have been handed out unlawfully.
It was also stressed that the issues arose "under previous management" and not under the current leadership team.
Last week, it was revealed that top officers at the council were looking into eight payments made to former employees made between 2017/2018 and 2021/2022 either as part of a redundancy package or a mutual agreement to leave the authority.
