Bosses at under-fire children's service 'receive £346,000'

The four are believed to have received 346,000, in payouts or by taking lump sums from their pensions, after either quitting or taking early retirement from Leeds City Council in the wake of damning criticism of the service.

Independent inspectors produced a critical assessment of children's services in the city and the Government imposed an improvement board to oversee changes in the service.

Of the four bosses, two received severance pay and another two were allowed to take advanced lump sums from their pensions.

One of them was children's services director Rosemary Archer, who it was agreed could take her pension early. It is not known how much she received.

Last night a spokesman for Leeds City Council said: "We cannot comment on individual cases."

It was revealed last month that council chiefs in the city could be paying as much as 1,000 a day for an expert to help improve children's services.

Eleanor Brazil has been appointed as interim director of children's services and has taken over the position until a permanent director is found.

At the time the council said it would not comment on how much Ms Brazil was being paid but it is understood she has been appointed through an agency at a cost of about 1,000 a day.

Since January last year, she has been a deputy director responsible for children's social care in Haringey – the London borough at the centre of the Baby P scandal.

Coun Stewart Golton, executive member responsible

for children's services in Leeds, said earlier Ms Brazil would oversee the council's improvement agenda for children's services.

She has previously worked as director of social services and housing in the London Borough of Sutton and a director of Sutton and Merton NHS Primary Care Trust.