The Chief Executive of East Sussex County Council, Cheryl Miller, already by some distance the highest earner of all council chief executives in East Sussex, is to receive a windfall pension sum worth £197,000 as part of her leaving arrangements.
In an email to Lewes MP Norman Baker, ESCC revealed:
"The County Council faces considerable challenges over the next few years, when it will be necessary to deliver financial savings of nearly £60m. Against that background, it was agreed that, in the interests of business efficiency, there should be a change of managerial leadership, to ensure the Council is in the best possible position to address the challenges ahead.
"In accordance with County Council policies, applying to all employees, Cheryl Miller was awarded three additional years pension at a one-off cost of £197,000. Mrs Miller will not receive any severance payment. The pension strain (unavoidably arising in the case of any early retirement before the age of 60 on the grounds of efficiency or redundancy) in this case is equivalent to approximately £270,000, but this is covered by the county wide contribution for pension strain that the County Council continuously makes as part of its contributions to the pension fund."
Lewes MP Norman Baker has also compiled salary details for each of the Chief Executives of the local councils in East Sussex , which show that the Chief Executive post at East Sussex County Council is paid almost double that of the district councils.
Norman Baker says:
"At a time when the public finances are so tight, it is questionable whether six-figure sums being paid to leading council officials can really be justified. The County Council in particular, by paying a huge annual salary to its Chief Executive, and agreeing to a very generous pension package, shows a cavalier disregard for those struggling to make ends meet."
Chief Executive Pay in East Sussex - Freedom of Information responses received by Norman Baker MP
| Council | Current Salary |
| East Sussex County Council | £181,098 |
| Wealden District Council | £106,000-118,179 |
| Lewes District Council | £103,539 |
| Rother District Council | £95,432 |
| Hastings Borough Council | £88,693-98,553 |
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Norman Baker,
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East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
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