£40k Rotherham pay-off condemned

[dutchman]

A council at the centre of a child sexual exploitation scandal has been condemned for giving a £40,000 pay-off to an official who quit following a damning report into the events.



Rotherham Borough Council disclosed the payment to former strategic director of children's services Joyce Thacker in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

The council said it had reached a mutual agreement with Mrs Thacker on the termination of her contract and the sum was "less than the contractual notice requirement".

But Keith Vaz, the chairman of an influential Commons committee that has looked into the Rotherham scandal, said he was "astounded" by the deal and called for the money to be repaid.

The scale of the abuse in Rotherham was revealed in August this year when Professor Alexis Jay published a report which outlined how at least 1,400 children had been sexually exploited between 1997 and 2003 and questioned why highly placed public figures had not tackled the problem.

Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Mr Vaz said: "I am astounded that taxpayers' money has been used in what will be seen as a reward for the failures of Rotherham Council.

"The committee recommended Joyce Thacker, and others, resign for their inaction in light of the huge number of child sexual abuse cases. It was inappropriate of her to accept such a large sum when she left.

"I hope action will be taken to ensure that this money is repaid, and that large pay offs cannot be given under similar circumstances in the future."

In its response to the FOI request, Rotherham Council said: "The Council reached a mutual agreement on the early termination of Mrs Thacker's contract.

"The agreement was for payment of £40,000 which was less than the contractual notice entitlement."

News of the deal with Mrs Thacker came as Mr Vaz's committee called for an urgent investigation into whether public officials sought to cover up the extent of the scandal.

[rebbonk]

Bit ripe coming from Vaz, but I agree with the sentiment