Council accused of bid to silence MP over huge payout to director

AN MP has reacted angrily to an approach by council officials trying to find out who leaked the massive payment made to a director's pension fund.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Mar 2010, 22:26 BST
Updated 23rd Mar 2010, 22:26 BST

Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart said a letter from the council's monitoring officer Mathew Buckley "looks like an attempt to intimidate an MP".

Mr Buckley – who has already threatened councillors with being taken before a standards committee – wanted to know who supplied the information about the 364,205 discretionary payment allowing the director of corporate resources Sue Lockwood to take early retirement.

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Mr Stuart said the move raised "issues about the culture which prevails at East Riding Council", adding: "My constituents are telling me that particularly in these times of straitened public finances, public services need to be prioritised ahead of feather-bedding of senior figures within the council itself."

Fellow Tory MP David Davis, who represents Haltemprice and Howden, said he was outraged by "an attempted cover-up".

Meanwhile the five councillors who queried the "immoral" payment are to be given a total of five minutes to explain why they are not happy about it at a scrutiny committee meeting tomorrow behind closed doors.

Cabinet member Margaret Chadwick will explain why the cabinet approved the payment. The committee has no power to reverse the decision but could ask Cabinet to reconsider.

The council has declined to comment.

Related topics:CouncilDavid Davis