THE former chief executive of St Helens Borough Council was paid more than a quarter of a million pounds during his final year, official documents have revealed.
Mike Palin, who joined the council in 2015, left the role in September 2019, with no official reason given for his departure.
The council moved quickly to install the former Blackburn chief executive Harry Catherall in October as Mr Palin’s interim replacement.
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However, according to the council’s recently published statement of accounts, Mr Palin did not officially leave the authority until December 31.
A council spokesman confirmed that Mr Palin did not continue to work for the authority during this three-month period.
Mr Palin was the highest paid employee within the council, and details of his remuneration during his final year have not been made public until now.
The statement of accounts reveals that Mr Palin received £167,000 in 2018-19, which includes an employer’s pension contribution of £21,000.
In 2019-20 – when Mr Palin stepped down just five months into the financial year – he was paid £254,000.
This is made up of remuneration of £237,000, which includes salary costs and compensation for loss of employment, and an employer’s pension contribution of £17,000.
The statement of accounts also reveals that Keith Ireland, the interim assistant chief executive who joined the council in April 2019, was paid remuneration of £79,000 during 2019-20.
A council spokesman said these were costs for his employment in the role and did not include any compensation.
Mr Ireland left the authority just days after Mr Palin, with the council saying at the time that his contract had come to its “natural end”.
In July 2019, the Local Democracy Reporting Service also reported that the authority was paying a consultancy fee of £930 a day for Mr Ireland’s services.
This was the total consultancy fee and not what Mr Ireland was paid per day.
St Helens Borough Council said at the time that the fee was “in line” with fees paid by councils and other public sector organisations nationally.
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Prior to coming to St Helens, Mr Ireland, who was awarded an OBE in the 2019 New Year Honours list for his services to local government in the West Midlands, had a short stint as the chief executive of Lincolnshire County Council.
He left the role in November 2018 after just four months by mutual consent.
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