Kent County Council confirms boss received £420,000 payoff

Katherine Kerswell was paid £139,806 a year for her role as managing director

Kent County Council has revealed its former managing director received a £420,000 payoff after she lost her job.

Katherine Kerswell, who left her post in December, was one of 1,500 staff who were made redundant as part of the council's spending cuts.

At the time the council refused to confirm her severance package, but it has now published its statement of accounts, detailing the amount.

Council leader Paul Carter said director salaries had reduced in Kent.

'Severance payment'

He said: "We've taken £1m out of the cost of running the senior directors' cadre and £45m of staff savings across the piece.

"I can't talk specifically as we're bound to a confidentiality agreement, but this job was one of the top jobs in local government.

"So if somebody had left a job to come to a new job then 16 months in you've restructured and decided a post is no longer needed, there has to be a severance payment that pays for that loss."

Ms Kerswell joined Kent County Council from Northamptonshire County Council in March 2010.