Northumberland council officer set for six-figure payout

The council’s director of transformation, Allison Joynson, requested voluntary redundancy from her position and would be paid a total package of £214,063.08.

It comes less than a month after the council’s former CEO Daljit Lally was controversially awarded a £209,000 payout to leave her role following a protracted dispute with leading councillors.

According to a report presented to members at Monday’s meeting of the council’s staff and appointments committee, Mrs Joynson’s deal includes more than £145,000 in pensions, nearly £37,000 pay in lieu of notice and over a redundancy payment of over £23,000.

Because the total figure was more than £100,000, the voluntary redundancy will have to be debated and agreed by full council. The next meeting is scheduled for September 21, with Mrs Joyson’s proposed leaving date September 30.

The issue was briefly discussed at Monday’s meeting, before the press and public were excluded to discuss confidential parts of the agreement. Speaking at the meeting, interim chief executive Rick O’Farrell said: “This report seeks the committees’ approval prior to going to council for a request for voluntary redundancy for the director of transformation.

“She has approached us, the meeting has been held and we are recommending that we accede to her request. The entire package is in excess of £100,000 so we need to go to full council – but this committee can agree recommendations.”

According to the report, Mrs Joynson joined the council in April 2017 under the job title of director of international projects and system transformation, with the responsibility for managing the international business at the council. The international business has come under intense scrutiny in recent months following the identification of alleged ‘unlawful expenditure’ in a damning section 114 report.

However, it is stressed that there are “no outstanding issues of a disciplinary nature” in relation to Mrs Joynson. Since there is no international work currently taking place at the council and is under review following the section 114 notice and the Max Caller report, Mrs Joynson has been supporting other “mainstream research work” in adult care.

The report notes that this work is not “comparable to the job banding” and all the work associated with her role has now ceased.