More than £17,000 of council taxpayers’ money will be handed to three cabinet members as ‘golden goodbyes’ – in a move likened to something “you’d expect at Goldman Sachs”.
Fiona Colley, Maisie Anderson and Mark Williams can all claim loss of office payment when they leave the council’s cabinet ahead of May 3’s local election.
Cabinet members are entitled to the equivalent of four weeks of their special allowance salary as a parting payment, as well as another week for every year they have served in cabinet, up to a total of thirteen weeks.
Southwark Labour group leader Peter John called it a “small payment” when the News carried the story of the decision to introduce the controversial ‘golden goodbye’ payments in 2016.
He explained the pay-offs were introduced to “attract and retain as wide a range of elected members to senior roles as possible” at the time.
Cabinet members for 2017/18 received a weekly rate of £671.87 before tax.
This means Fiona Colley, who served as cabinet member for finance, modernisation and performance for eight years, will receive £8,062.44 when she leaves.
Mark Williams will receive £5,374.96 when he stands down as cabinet member for regeneration and new homes.
And Maisie Anderson, cabinet member for public health and social regeneration for two years, will receive £4,031.22.
Damian O’Brien, deputy leader of Southwark Liberal Democrat council group, said: “We are still shocked that Southwark Labour think they can get away with this.
“These Labour politicians are voluntarily resigning from their jobs months in advance.
“Why should they receive an additional pay-off for not working? This is the sort of self-indulgent nonsense you’d expect at Goldman Sachs – not in public service.”
Southwark Council confirmed the figures before the News went to press.
The Labour group did not respond before press deadline.