Glasgow - FOI, Senior Officials and Equal Pay



Here's an FOI Request to Glasgow City Council asking for further details of an Exit Package paid to a senior council official.

Now in this case the former Executive Director of Finance, Lynn Brown, was not awarded 'added years' - instead the City Council generously decided to pay an additional £120,079 into the Strathclyde Pension Scheme in order for this particular official to retire and access her pension early.

I've asked the City Council to explain who recommended this generous use of public funds and by how much this brought forward the senior official's ability to retire, and I'll share this information in due course on the blog site.

I suspect, by now, that regular readers will probably have noticed the same pattern as me - the council's former chief solicitor benefited from 'added years' and a bumper Exit Package in 2010/11, two more senior officials followed in 2013/14 and another in 2014/15 before the executive director of finance was effectively 'gifted' £120,000 in 2016/17.

The identity of 3 of these individuals is unknown at the moment which is why I have lodged two further FOI Requests to establish who they are along with the name of the person within the City Council who recommended such a generous use of public money.

So I'll be interested to hear what the Council has to say, but surely there have to be proper safeguards in place, otherwise it will look as if the people at the top are feathering their own, or each other's, nests? 

Maybe I'll submit an FOI Request asking how many Home Carers have received a big boost to their pensions from 'added years' - or the generous gift of £120,000 to allow low paid council workers to retire early.

20 April 2018

Annemarie O'Donnell

Chief Executive

Glasgow City Council

By email to - annemarie.odonnell@ced.glasgow.gov.uk

Dear Ms O'Donnell

FOISA Request

I refer to the letter below from John Dickson, Executive Compliance Officer, and would like to make the following request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

1) Please provide me the name and job title of the Council official who recommended that Glasgow City Council should pay £120,079 to compensate the Local Government Pension Scheme for allowing the Council's former Executive Director of Finance, Lynn Brown, to access her pension benefits early?

2) Please provide me with the written explanation for this recommendation and the process by which the expenditure of this large sum of public money approved?

3) Please confirm how long the former Executive Director of Finance would otherwise have had to wait to access her pension benefits, if it were not for this generous use of public funds?

I look forward to your reply and would be grateful if you could respond to me by e-mail at: markirvine@compuserve.com

Kind regards


Mark Irvine

Dear Mr Irvine,

Freedom Of Information  Request


I refer to your Freedom of Information Request dated 21 March 2018, wherein you asked that certain information be supplied to you, namely :-

“I refer to the Annual Accounts of Glasgow City Council for the year to 31 March 2017 and, specifically, to Paragraph 5.2 (Page 131) which deals with the pension benefits of senior council employees.

1) Please explain the basis of the £134,147 employer pension contribution paid in respect of the Executive Director of Finance, Lynn Brown? I note the figure increased to £134,147 in 2017 from £26,116 in 2016.

2) Please confirm whether this payment was made in respect of 'added years' and what impact this payment had on the Executive Director's pension benefits?

3) Please provide a copy of the council correspondence or the official council report which recommended that the Executive Director should be awarded 'added years'.

The Council is treating your request as a request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

The information you have requested is as follows :

1) Please explain the basis of the £134,147 employer pension contribution paid in respect of the Executive Director of Finance, Lynn Brown? I note the figure increased to £134,147 in 2017 from £26,116 in 2016.

Ø  The sum of £134,147 as quoted in the annual accounts comprised of £14,068 employer contributions before the Executive Director of Finance retired on 30 September 2016 and £120,079 as a one off payment to the Local Government Pension Scheme as recompense for the early release of pension rights

2) Please confirm whether this payment was made in respect of 'added years' and what impact this payment had on the Executive Director's pension benefits?

Ø  The executive Director of Finance, Lynn Brown was not awarded “added years”

3) Please provide a copy of the council correspondence or the official council report which recommended that the Executive Director should be awarded 'added years'.

Ø  Not applicable

The Council accordingly feels that it has complied in full with your request.  However, if you feel that this is not the case or have any questions relating to information contained within the spreadsheet, I can be contacted at the noted e-mail address or on telephone number 0141-287-8186.


  


Glasgow - FOI, Senior Officials and Equal Pay (02/05/18)



Here's another FOI Request to Glasgow City Council asking for further information about an Exit Package for a senior council official which was boosted by the award of 'added years' at a cost of £47,000 - taking the total value of the package to £171,000 in 2014/15.

Now I could be wrong, but I seem to see the signs of a pattern developing here, so watch this space - as there's more to follow soon.


26 April 2018

Annemarie O'Donnell
Chief Executive
Glasgow City Council

Dear Ms O'Donnell
FOISA Request

I would like to make the following request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. 

I refer to Glasgow City Council's Annual Accounts for 2014/15 and the entry on Page 129 which an Exit Package at Band £150,000 to £200,000. The package is broken down further under the following headings:

Number - 1
Cash value - £124,000
Notional Capitalised Added Years value - £47,000
Total - £171,000

1) Please provide me the name and job title of the official who benefited from these Added Years payments?

2) Please explain the impact of these Added Years payments on the official's lump sum  and annual pension?

3) Please provide me with the name and job title of the council official who recommended the award of Added Years

4) Please provide me with any written correspondence of documents supporting the recommendation to award Added Years? 

I look forward to your reply and would be grateful if you could respond to me by e-mail at: markirvine@compuserve.com
Kind regards


Mark Irvine 

  

Glasgow - FOI, Senior Officials and Equal Pay (01/05/18)


While Glasgow's low paid equal pay claimants have had to fight every inch of the way to enforce their employment rights through the highest courts in Scotland, senior officials in the City Council seem to have had a much easier time of things.

Here's my latest FOI Request which is trying to get to the bottom of Exit Packages paid to four senior officials in 2013/14 which were apparently boosted by £320,000 through the award of 'added years' to their pension pots.

Now the Council's annual accounts don't explain in any detail the benefit of 'added years' and in the case of another former chief official I calculated the added value to be worth at least £250,000. 

And this from the same council which rejected my previous FOI Request (regarding the WPBR) on the grounds that it would cost more than £600 to answer the points I raised about the role played by senior officials during the introduction of the WPBR in 2005/07.

As you can see, I am also keen to know who within the City Council is recommending the award of these added years at such huge public expense - and once I get the answer I'll share the information on the blog site.

In the meantime, if readers have any thoughts about double standards and/or hypocrisy when it comes to using public money, please drop me a note: markirvine@compuserve.com 




27 April 2018


Annemarie O'Donnell
Chief Executive
Glasgow City Council


Dear Ms O'Donnell
FOISA Request

I would like to make the following request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. 

I refer to Glasgow City Council's Annual Accounts for 2013/14 and the entries on Exit Packages at Band £200,001 to £250,000 and Band £250,001 to £300,00. The packages referred to in the Annual Accounts are broken down further under the following headings:

Band £201,000 to £250,000

Number - 2
Cash value - £310,000
Notional Capitalised Added Years value - £141,000
Total - £451,000

Band £250,001 to £300,000

Number - 2
Cash value - £380,000
Notional Capitalised Added Years value - £179,000
Total - £559,000

1) Please provide me the names and job titles of the officials who benefited from these Added Years payments?

2) Please explain the impact of these Added Years payments on the officials' lump sums  and annual pensions?

3) Please provide me with the name and job title of the council official who recommended the award of Added Years

4) Please provide me with any written correspondence of documents supporting the recommendation to award Added Years? 

I look forward to your reply and would be grateful if you could respond to me by e-mail at: markirvine@compuserve.com
Kind regards


Mark Irvine 


  

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