Wandsworth council director paid £350k in "golden handshake" for taking redundancy

Paul Robinson had been the longest serving director of children’s services before he took redundancy in March 2014.

The Wandsworth Guardian reported that Mr Robinson would receive a £137,040 golden handshake, with a discretionary payment of £32,529.

March 2014: Laid off Wandsworth Council bosses granted £100,000 golden handshakes

His total remuneration package, including pension contributions, was £354,452.

He also had private medical insurance while he worked for the council, costing £3,198.

A national investigation has revealed that this figure put Mr Robinson in the top five highly paid council officers list, as one of just 10 paid more than £300,000.

Other high earners included the chief executive of Cumbria Council, Jill Stannard, who was paid £411,025.

After his time at the council, Mr Robinson set up Paul Robinson Associates, which this year recorded a net worth of £6,715, with total assets of £19,331.

Roy Evans, who was director of housing until March 2014, was awarded a payout of £150,182 as compensation for “loss of office”.

Chief executive Paul Martin was paid £215,696, with a £19,080 bonus and £2,375 for medical insurance in the year 2013-14.

A spokesman from Wandsworth Council said: “This sum reflects the full annual salary and compensation for loss of earnings our former director was legally entitled to receive when he was made redundant and his post was abolished as part of a major reorganisation that is saving local taxpayers millions of pounds a year.

“He got only what he was entitled to – not a penny more, not a penny less.

“Wandsworth has a proven track record of providing residents with the best value for money services of any local authority in the country.

“Nationally, we have one of the highest residents’ satisfaction ratings of any town hall while our council tax is half the London average.”