North Yorkshire Council: Redundancy pay for leaving leaders to hit £535,000

Council bosses set to be made redundant when one larger governing authority is created in North Yorkshire are to be paid £535,000 between them.

The redundancy packages are to be paid as new unitary authority North Yorkshire Council will replace several smaller district councils.

In total, eight local authorities are to be replaced, with payments to leaving leaders being announced by three councils so far.

The new council will start on 1 April.

Harrogate Borough Council chief executive Wallace Sampson OBE is set to receive £101,274 in redundancy pay when the council is abolished.

A report to go before a committee later this week will ask councillors whether to approve the package for Mr Sampson, who became chief executive in 2008.

Selby District Council chief executive Janet Waggot is set to receive a redundancy package worth £210,000, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Hambleton District Council's chief executive, Justin Ives, is to receive a £225,000 redundancy settlement - which was criticised by both Unison and the Taxpayers' Alliance.

Current North Yorkshire County Council chief executive Richard Flinton has already been announced as the chief executive of North Yorkshire Council.

He will earn a salary of up to £197,000 a year with responsibility for an annual budget of £1.4 billion and a workforce of 10,500 staff.

The new council body will run services across the county, replacing the smaller councils.

A rebrand is expected to cost almost £400,000 when Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby district councils merge with North Yorkshire County Council.

The branding will be used on staff badges, signs, letterheads and other assets.

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