In what is thought to be a first for local government, members of Croydon Council's Appointments & Disciplinary Panel have given their backing for legal action to recover as much of the settlement payment to former chief executive Jo Negrini as is legally possible.
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon, said:
It is completely unacceptable that individuals who held positions of trust should escape the consequences of their misconduct. Nor should they be rewarded for their failures while our residents, businesses and partners continue to pay the price.
They must be held to account – that is why I have consistently pushed for the council to take the strongest possible action against those responsible. I will also be making the case to government that councils must have greater powers to hold former officers and members to account for misconduct – without risking further costs to the taxpayer.
This is something that I will be asking government to look at as a matter of urgency.
