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.
Read more: 'Much-loved': Heartbroken family pay tribute to 15-year-old Holly Newton killed in Hexham 'stabbing'
The local democracy service asked the county council if they could confirm who had signed off the payments, but this information has not been provided.
Conservative leader Coun Glen Sanderson said: "I'm very keen to stress the issues arose under the previous management and not in this administration. I'm most concerned about it and have asked for a full investigation."
Coun Sanderson said last week that he had "strong views" on the fact he had been "excluded" from discussions around the payments.
Coun Sanderson was elected as leader of the council in September 2020, replacing Coun Peter Jackson after the latter lost a vote of no confidence. Speaking at last week's audit committee meeting, Coun Jackson said the "very large payments" had not been reported to the leader and the cabinet.
Coun Jackson also said one of the payments totalled more than £570,000.
The payments are now being investigated by the council's monitoring officer, Suki Binjal, and Section 151 officer Jan Willis - the authority's top legal officer and financial chief respectively.
They will decide whether the payments were made unlawfully and if a section 114 notice needs to be issued. One of these notices was issued last year when unlawful expenditure related to the council's international health consultancy business was uncovered.
The council’s chief internal auditor, Kevin McDonald, said that any exit package paid to council officers over £100,000 should have gone to full council for approval. According to him this had not happened in five cases and this constituted as a breach of the Localism Act 2011, which states that authorities should offer full council the opportunity to vote before large severance packages – advised as those £100,000 – are approved.
Read next:
- Hexham school pays tribute to "truly lovely" student after death following a suspected stabbing
- First picture of Hexham 'stabbing' victim, 15, as police charge boy, 16, with murder
- Tributes flood in for 'beautiful' girl, 15, killed in Hexham 'stabbing' as fundraiser launched
- Northumberland hotel named one of the best UK stays with a hot tub
- Elderly woman in hospital with serious injuries after being hit by van in Northumberland town
