Council contractor gets £63,000 for three months work (From Times Series)

Barnet's acting deputy chief executive pockets £21k-a-month over Christmas period

10:00am Wednesday 2nd February 2011 in News By Alex Hayes

A TEMPORARY director of Barnet Council pocketed more than £21,000 each month in the last three months of the year, the Times Series can reveal.

Andrew Travers, the acting deputy chief executive, employed as a contractor through his company Halliford Associates Ltd, received £63,000 from Barnet Council between October and December.

In May and June he was taking home an average of £16,000 each month for the same job, which includes controlling cash-flow in Barnet.

The revelation, which came from the quarterly expenditure figures released on Monday, has drawn anger from Barnet UNISON, with many staff members facing redundancy and pay freezes.

John Burgess, branch secretary, said: “It's a key job and it has to be part of the establishment, the council should not be employing a consultant to do it.

“He effectively controls the purse strings. He can tell the chief executive to stop spending money and he would have to do it.

“Members will be shaking their heads and saying it's one rule for us and another for them. It's unreal.”

The council said Mr Travers is being paid £175,000-per-year on a “pro-rata day rate” as all contractors are, adding it always stays in budget when filling posts with contractors.