Andrew Duffield writes to PM over Tynedale Tories £290,000 payment to senior council staff

2.41.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 17th Mar 2008

Appalled at Conservative Tynedale Council's decision to pay senior staff £290,000 in retention payments, Liberal Democrat's parliamentary candidate Andrew Duffield has written to the Prime Minister.

Andrew said in his letter "Local residents feel it is totally unacceptable for the Conservatives in Tynedale to award £290,000 and for this to be followed by the Labour County Council awarding 20% payments to their senior staff." Gordon Brown has warned the public servants that pay increases will be limited due to inflation and yet the Councils, who tried to keep these payments a secret, are paying out huge sums. Andrew Duffield has asked the Prime Minister what action he intends to take, in view that these payments are contradicting his own message on public sector pay.

The Liberal Democrats have been the only party to have opposed these excesses. Even Conservative MP Peter Atkinson is distancing himself from the Councillors when he said he "questions how necessary these payments are" and he is "very uneasy". We will let you know