11:10am Tuesday 6th July 2010
By Matt Smith
AN INQUIRY into secret bonus payments to top executives at Hampshire County Council moved a step closer last night after a request for an investigation was tabled by opposition councillors.
Council leader Ken Thornber faced calls for to quit when it emerged he decided to hand out huge payments to high-ranking staff, apparently without the knowledge of fellow councillors.
He had previously denied his authority paid bonuses to staff.
Liberal Democrats are now demanding a probe into payments made in the past two years to seven senior officers totalling £87,000 when the country was in the middle of deep recession and 1,750 mainly male workers at the council had their pay cut as part of a new salary structure.
Cllr Thornber, who himself received £41,089 in allowances in the last financial year, insisted the payments were not contractual bonuses but one-off payments in recognition of work to deliver savings of £57m in the past three years. However he so far failed to explain how and when he made the decision.
Attempts to contact every member of his Conservative Cabinet failed to shed light on how the decision had been made. Many refused to return calls while others admitted they didn’t know or couldn’t remember anything about the bonuses. Last night Lib Dem councillor Bruce Tennent, a member of the council’s select committee for policy and resources, tabled a request for the bonus decision and policy to be properly scrutinised with an inquiry.
He told the Daily Echo: “The transparency issue is the major concern. I want it on the agenda at the time of the next scrutiny meeting (on July 22).
“I believe they will have to accept my request. It would be embarrassing for them not to.”
Cllr Tennent said it appeared the senior officers, had already, been paid extra for doing their jobs.
“Why give them extra money if money was short?” he said.
Lib Dem group leader councillor Keith House, who is backing the calls for an inquiry, has accused Cllr Thornber of a coverup by hiding behind the meaning of words to the disguise pay awards.
Cllr Thornber, who lives in Sway and represents Brockenhurst, was unavailable again for interview or comment yesterday.
He has previously stated there was “no contractual bonus scheme in place” at the council.
But he added: “We do, however, recognise exceptional performance with special recognition payments on a one-off basis; an approach which is in line with most other local authorities and derives from established national agreements.”
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