Labour have criticised the Conservative administration at Northumberland County Council after allegations of ‘unlawful expenditure’ totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Yesterday, a report from the council’s chief finance officer revealed two aspects of “unlawful expenditure” – one relating to the council’s participation in the Northumbria International Alliance, and the other relating to an 'international allowance' of £40,000 a year being paid to chief executive Daljit Lally since 2017. The funds were reportedly paid on top of her salary - stated to be £190,000 a year as of that year.
The payments were allegedly made without the “proper authorisation” and contravening the council’s pay policy statements. The funding was related to her responsibilities undertaken with Northumbria International Alliance (NIA).
