CEREDIGION County Council spent £1,750,000 on redundancy packages last year, as it paid its new deputy chief executive in excess of £110,000, the Cambrian News can reveal.

The council’s official accounts for the 2015-16 financial year, seen by the Cambrian News ahead of their official publication in September, reveal 111 members of staff were made redundant at a cost of £1.75m to the taxpayer.

This happened at the same time that four senior officers were paid in excess of £100,000 — all salary figures include pension contributions — with another nine earning more than £60,000.

Chief executive Bronwen Morgan earned £125,000 last year, while Eifion Evans, who filled the newly-created post of deputy chief executive, was paid £112,442.

Barry Rees, who filled the role of strategic director of education after it was vacated by Eifion Evans, earned £100,761, while Huw Morgan, the council’s director of sustainable communities, was paid £107,683.

The total wage bill for senior officers totalled £1.38m last year.

A Ceredigion County Council spokesperson said: “The exit packages resulted in savings of £3.229m over the first 12 months and these are recurring.

“£700,000 of the exit costs were in respect of schools, where decisions are also taken by their governing bodies.

“At the outset it is important to note that the council remains one of the lowest-paying authorities in Wales for its collective senior officer posts."

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