David Monks and his £130,000 payout

Here we have it. David Monks, who as Chief Executive has presided over the mess that HDC finds itself in, is making a run for it before he has to make the Tsunami of cuts coming. At his next birthday, in March 2011, he will be 60. The age of retirement for Local Government workers is 60. So the Council Taxpayers are paying him off with £130,000 to go soon! That equates to £2.22 per Council Taxpayer on the Band D average.
From the Hunts Post:

Nice pay off when HDC is faced with cuts of up to £10 million. The empire that David Monks built is falling down around him. So David Monks will not be there when most of the redundancies and job cuts are taking place. Not really a man for the difficult decisions in life. I feel David Monks should forego this payment. Because he could have done much to change this position HDC finds itself in.

I can find no warnings by David Monks that the position the Council was in was unsustainable. All I can find is how wonderful HDC was by keeping the Council Tax low and what wonderful services residents received. It is only recently, with reserves running out, has it been panic stations at HDC. This has been far too late. I feel David Monks should take much responsibility for the current situation. Like others before him, it seems to pay to fail.

I suppose the Conservatives will be handwringing about all this and how they had to pay off the Chief Executive Officer. Well they didn't have to pay him off - but they did. The Conservatives have responsibility for the mess HDC find itself in. Their pursuit of the low tax/high spending policy has got HDC into this right muck up. The Chief Officers should also take part of the blame in the muck up that HDC find itself in.