Leicestershire PCC pays compensation after ethics group disbanded

Rupert Matthews said the decision was not about "political allegiances or challenge to my approach"

A police and crime commissioner (PCC) has paid out £56,000 in compensation after an ethics group claimed it had been dismissed unfairly.

Leicestershire PCC Rupert Matthews replaced seven members of the ethics, integrity and complaints committee with a new ethics and transparency panel.

His predecessor criticised the group's disbandment, claiming it was because "he didn't like their criticism".

Each member received £8,000 that did not include an admission of liability.

Mr Matthews said he felt the previous group was "not focused enough" and decided to replace them with a new panel that was more in line with his police and crime plan, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

He claimed he invited all seven members to put their names forward to sit on the new group.

'Treated appallingly'

Conservative Mr Matthews said the committee agreed to settle the matter, adding he understood they "felt aggrieved" by the decision, but found it "very disappointing... they felt it appropriate to seek financial recompense from the public purse".

"The committee met four times a year at most and obviously I did not believe the voluntary committee had any employment status," he said.

"It is of course regrettable that this situation arose and while I would have preferred matters to have been settled without financial recourse, I saw no point in prolonging things any further.

"I would like to make it absolutely clear that my decision to wind-up the former committee had nothing to do with political allegiances, or challenge to my approach."

Former Labour PCC Lord Willy Bach criticised the dismissal as "outrageous".

"For the current commissioner to sack the committee simply because he didn't like their questions and criticism was shameful," he said.

"They have been treated appallingly. Their service deserved better."