Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Stopping excessive pay-offs
I was delighted to be able to announce earlier today that six-figure redundancy packages in the public sector would be a thing of the past if the Welsh Liberal Democrats were to win power at the next Welsh Assembly elections.
My view is that pay-outs should be capped at £90,000 for people working in the health service, government Quangos and Local Government.
Only last week it was reported that disgraced Carmarthenshire County Council chief executive Mark James could be in line for a severance deal worth £446,000. This followed the announcement last year by Pembrokeshire Council that it paid its former chief executive Bryn Parry-Jones an estimated £330,000. In addition, Mary Burrows, the then chief executive of Betsi Cadwaladr was reported to have received a deal worth £470,000.
Under our plans, the Welsh Liberal Democrats will bring forward legislation in the next Assembly to outlaw six-figure payouts.
At a time when nurses, teachers and police have all either had their salaries frozen or they have seen a minimal pay-rise, it is simply not acceptable that some people working in the public sector are on the receiving end of six-figure redundancy payments.
We all know how tough the economic climate is at the moment; therefore what is particularly galling is that this is money that is being taken away from front line services. That needs to change.
My view is that pay-outs should be capped at £90,000 for people working in the health service, government Quangos and Local Government.
Only last week it was reported that disgraced Carmarthenshire County Council chief executive Mark James could be in line for a severance deal worth £446,000. This followed the announcement last year by Pembrokeshire Council that it paid its former chief executive Bryn Parry-Jones an estimated £330,000. In addition, Mary Burrows, the then chief executive of Betsi Cadwaladr was reported to have received a deal worth £470,000.
Under our plans, the Welsh Liberal Democrats will bring forward legislation in the next Assembly to outlaw six-figure payouts.
At a time when nurses, teachers and police have all either had their salaries frozen or they have seen a minimal pay-rise, it is simply not acceptable that some people working in the public sector are on the receiving end of six-figure redundancy payments.
We all know how tough the economic climate is at the moment; therefore what is particularly galling is that this is money that is being taken away from front line services. That needs to change.
