Even when you have made a golden handshake payment, is there any guarantee they will stay if a bigger and better offer is made by some other organisation?

What happens if a few managers disappear? Does the firm or authority involved collapse into chaos?

There is an old saying that no one is indispensable and another that says cash does not necessarily buy loyalty.

But that, obviously, is not the opinion of one man – the leader of Northumberland County Council, Peter Hillman, who thinks it will be the end of the world if three senior officials up sticks and leave the authority.

And he is willing to back his opinion with our cash.

These thoughts sprung to mind on hearing of the deal given to three top executives of the county council to stay with the authority during the dissolving of the six district councils into a unitary authority next year.

The three are chief executive Mark Henderson, who now earns around £150,000 per year to be increased by some £30,000; deputy chief executive Jill Dixon, whose £110,000 will go up by £22,000; and finance director Steven Mason, whose £100,000 will go up by £20,000.

You will also note that this is a basic wage. On top, there are all the additional perks of company car and expenses, etc.

The pay increases amount to £74,000 and come at the same time as the authority is attempting to axe £4.7million from its budget.

That means services will be cut, trimmed or, in some cases, done away with altogether.

While the fat cats get richer, the services they are paid to provide to the neediest are reduced each year bit by bit, slice by slice.

How many part-time care workers would £74,000 provide?

How many extra hours would be given to provide respite care?

How many school leaking roofs could be repaired?

But the most worrying aspect of all this, in my opinion, is that a massive wage increase, ie 20 per cent per person, was agreed by one man on the county council, Mr Hillman

We are told that Coun Hillman is authorised to make the decision on salary increases without consultation.

What also causes concern is, we are told, that within the budget proposals there are plans that the leader of the council and the chief executive will have the authority to make a decision on spending up to £100,000 of our money without having to get approval from the men or women who we, the council tax-payers, elected to represent us on the authority.

What I am not clear about is this. Can Coun Hillman and the chief executive agree to spend £100,000 once a year, every day of the year or how often they want?

There does not appear to be any control.

I wrote in September last year: "The real fear of a unitary authority in the control of one party is that once the Cabinet has made up its mind, the chances of changing it or stopping it are very close to nil, never mind how many different opinions are expressed against.

"One of the first decisions of the new unitary authority should be to do away with Cabinet-style local government and make decisions based on the opinion of ALL the elected members, not just a few. That is what is called democracy."

This time it was only when councillors were alerted by the press that they had any idea that these increases had been paid – and paid since October last year.

Why was the decision to pay the increases not made public?
Why have two people such power that they can spend £100,000 of our money without scrutiny until after it has happened?

I am sure our local councillors will be raising the matter on behalf of the electorate, many of who are on fixed incomes and have never had a 20 per cent increase in their lives.

For many, the increases will be more than they earn in a year.
But I am sure by now dear reader that you can understand my fears for local democracy or local democracy as some on Northumberland County Council appear to understand it.