West Sussex council 'waived' rules on chief executive expenses, report finds

Nathan Elvery (second from right) joined West Sussex County Council in 2017

A council "waived" its own rules to pay its chief executive resettlement expenses without requiring him to actually move house, according to a report.

West Sussex County Council had insisted the £47,500 payment to Nathan Elvery was fully within its rules.

Opposition councillors have called for the money to be repaid.

The council said the payment was needed to attract a suitably qualified candidate for the "hard to fill" role.

The Conservative-run county council hired Mr Elvery in 2017.

On top of his £190,000 salary, he was offered £47,500 resettlement expenses towards the purchase of a flat in Chichester, close to the council's offices.

'Incentive to recruit'

Last year, Private Eye revealed he had never moved out of his family house in Surrey and the Chichester flat was a second home.

Councillors requested a report into that decision.

It was first drafted in February, with a final version signed off in June.

The report had not previously been published but the council released its findings after Freedom of Information requests from BBC Sussex and the Chichester Observer.

It said Mr Elvery was offered the payment because "the role was considered hard to fill".

It said the job of chief executive "should attract an incentive to recruit and retain a suitably qualified and experienced post holder."

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However, the report also made clear that by offering Mr Elvery the payment without requiring him to permanently move to West Sussex, the council "waived" its normal rules.

The council had told journalists in December 2018 the payment was "fully in line with the council's policy on recruitment related expenses".

West Sussex County Council said the payment to Mr Elvery would "enable the better performance" of his duties.

In response to the report, the council said that when hiring a new chief executive, a specific package was drawn up for the role. The sum of money offered was in line with normal recruitment policy - but the package did not contain the usual requirement to relocate.

It said the package "was made available to all candidates in order to enable the appointed person to be easily accessible to the council's HQ in Chichester".

There was no suggestion Mr Elvery acted improperly and the council said it was "satisfied" he had spent the money on costs related to buying that second home.

'Excessive generosity'

Opposition councillors have called for Mr Elvery to repay the money.

Lib Dem leader of the opposition, Councillor Dr James Walsh, said it was "absurd" to say the job could not have been filled without the extra payment.

"This was excessive generosity by a cash-strapped council at a time of frozen salaries for most staff, and cutbacks in frontline services," he said

He said he believed the council's initial decision not to publish the report "indicates a fairly determined effort to hide the truth from the taxpayer".