Peeblesshire News | News | Council workers in £2million pay-off

Friday, 25th July, 2008

Published: Friday, 16th May, 2008 12:00

Council workers in £2million pay-off

By Ally McGilvray

Comments (0)

Print Article

COUNCIL workers are being given a £2million pay-off - in a bid to save the local authority money.

A total of 51 Scottish Borders Council employees have accepted golden handshakes to take early retirement or voluntary severance over the next year.

It follows a review of local authority services in a bid to cut costs.

However, when contacted by the Peeblesshire News this week, council chiefs refused to reveal details of the largest pay-out.

Councillor Alec Nicol, Depute Leader of the Council, said: “This will allow the organisation to become more efficient by reducing the overall staff numbers without having to resort to compulsory redundancies.

“In November last year, the Executive accepted that, in order to achieve the Council’s programme of business transformation and particularly the implementation of organisational reviews, we should agree a policy and procedure for reducing the number of employees through regular programmes of early retirement and voluntary severance.

“Those programmes have now been approved unanimously by the full Council and, as a result, 51 Council employees are taking voluntary early retirement or voluntary severance over the next year or so.”

The voluntary severance/early retirement scheme, which was unanimously approved by councillors, will cost the local authority £2million of taxpayers’ money.

However, for each and every year after, it is expected to save the Council just over £1 million.The first group of employees will finish work at the end of May.

A council spokeswoman said: “Financial settlements are a private matter between employers and employees.”

Comments