Mystery over payment

After the recent debacle surrounding Sunderland Council Child Services and the subsequent resignation of the Chief Executive, Dave Smith, a mystery still exists as to the remuneration package he was given.

By The Newsroom

Published 11th Feb 2016, 08:34 BST

Updated 11th Feb 2016, 08:35 BST

The award was decided by the Human Resource Committee and not the full council as recommended by the Government. This recommendation was made to encourage transparency in a time when cutbacks have affected services and resulted in redundancies.

When questioned about this council leader Paul Watson stated he was not prepared to discuss individual cases.

Has Councillor Watson forgotten that it is the people of Sunderland who foot the bill for these payments as well as keep him and his party in power? Does he believe that the electorate have no right to this information? This is the kind of attitude prevalent in the private sector, where withholding the truth is common practice.

MG Wilkinson