The Leader of Coventry Conservatives, Councillor John Blundell, has heavily criticised the Labour-controlled Council’s proposal to prevent all Councillors from debating and voting on high value severance packages paid to senior Council employees.
A meeting of Full Council today is likely to see the recommendation to have high value severance and pay issues discussed by the obscure Audit and Procurement Committee, rather than by Full Council – which involves all elected Councillors in the City. This is despite clear guidance from the Local Government and Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles MP, that Council’s should be transparent and allow all Councillors the opportunity to scrutinise pay and severance packages worth more than £100,000.
Commenting, Cllr Blundell said: “It is a clear intention of the Government and stated in Eric Pickles’ letter of 20 February 2013 that Full Council should be given the opportunity to vote on salary and severance packages of £100,000 or more. This is clearly not being done here.
"Full Council, which is webcast, is a place where these matters should be decided and not in an obscure committee which has only 5 Labour Councillors and 1 Conservative Councillor serving on it.”