How Northamptonshire’s local government reorganisation proved lucrative for the outgoing chief executives

As the final accounts of the former Corby Borough Council reveal the former chief executive’s huge pay-off we look at how the other bosses did in their final year

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By Sarah Ward

Norman Stronach was paid a substantial redundancy sum

More than 18 months after the close down of the county’s borough and district councils, the newly published final accounts of Corby Borough Council for the financial year 2020/21 have revealed that the chief executive Norman Stronach was paid £179,000 for losing his job.

Stronach who took over the top post at the Corby authority in 2013, was allowed to leave early following a behind closed doors meeting in October 2020. His exit package was signed off at the secret meeting, a matter of weeks before a new government directive which had limited exit packages for council officers to £95,000. On top of the £179,000 he also received a £64,000 salary from April to the end of October when he departed.

£22,000 was also paid into his pension. The year before Stronach had been paid £106,000 annual salary.

The accounts, which go before the successor council North Northamptonshire Council’s audit committee next week, had been delayed due to problems as the authority had not reconciled its accounts in either 2019/20 to 2020/21. The delayed accounts saw the audit cost almost double to £88,000. 

As the accounts of all of the the seven former authorities have now been approved in full we have taken a look at how the former chief executives fared in the final year before the unitary’s began. 

We have found a mixed bag of arrangements and remunerations - some had bumper payoffs, while others had a substantial increase in their final year and others moved on or retired with nothing. The funds were paid out of the council's funds in their final accounting period (apart from Daventry District Council who passed the payouts onto the new West unitary).

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Liz Elliott

The former Wellingborough Borough Council managing director, who is now interim chief executive of Market Harborough District Council took home a redundancy payment of £117,963, which added to her annual salary, expenses and pension meant she received £236,439 in her final year.

Like Stronach, Elliott arranged to leave the authority early and was not part of the final close down arrangements.

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Richard Ellis

In an unusual deal, the accounts show the chief executive of South Northamptonshire Council’s salary jumped from more than £120,620 to a salary of £235,279 in the final year of the council.

(This figure according to the accounts, includes fees and allowances). 

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David Oliver

The former chief executive of East Northamptonshire Council David Oliver retired from his £114,000 per year role and did not receive an exit payment. The accounts do not report any loss of office payments for staff that year.

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George Chandler

The former Northampton Borough Council chief executive was one of the highest paid of the seven borough top officers, earning a salary of £162,000. He did not receive a redundancy pay off as he went on to take a new role within the North unitary as director of place and economy. He now earns between £140,000 and £149,000.

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Graham Soulsby

According to the final accounts the Kettering Borough Council boss did not receive a redundancy payment in the last year of the council, but did see his salary rise in that final year from £133,000 to £157,000. 

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Ian Vincent

The Daventry District Council chief executive Ian Vincent earned just under £134,000 in his final year, plus a benefit of £10,049. A note in the adjustments sections to the accounts said that the council’s chief executive and monitoring officer were paid £444,000 in redundancy payments, which would be paid out of the budget of the new unitary authority.