Employment‑related termination and settlement payments

I make this request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

Information sought

For the two financial years ending 30 June 2024 and 30 June 2025, and
1 July 2025 to 23 March 2026.
I request the following information relating to payments made to employees (or former employees) in connection with the termination of their employment, excluding ordinary redundancy payments:

1. The total number of employment‑related termination settlements or payments made in each financial year.
2. The total dollar amount of all such payments made in each financial year.
3. The amount of the largest individual payment made in each financial year.

For the avoidance of doubt, this includes payments described as:

· severance payments
· ex gratia payments
· confidentiality or settlement agreement payments
· payments in lieu of notice
· any other payment made to settle a personal grievance, employment dispute, or to bring about the departure of an employee where the payment was not part of a standard redundancy process

If the council holds information that would allow the above to be broken down by the nature of the payment (for example, distinguishing between payments made under a formal settlement agreement versus other termination payments), I would be grateful for that breakdown.

Form of access requested

I prefer to receive the information electronically, in a spreadsheet (Excel or CSV) or PDF format. If a spreadsheet with the above figures is not readily available, I am happy to receive the information in any format that is convenient for you.

Public interest

I consider that disclosure of the aggregated information is in the public interest because it relates to the expenditure of public funds by a local authority. I note that the Ombudsman has consistently held that transparency in the use of public money outweighs privacy interests at the aggregate level, and that councils are required to report severance payments in their annual reports under Schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 2002.

Assistance

If any part of my request is unclear, or if you consider that the information cannot be provided without substantial collation or research (section 17(f) of LGOIMA), please contact me so that we can discuss narrowing the scope. I am also happy to receive the information in stages if that makes it easier to process.

Please acknowledge receipt of this request and advise of any transfer of part of the request to another agency under section 13 of LGOIMA.

Thank you for your assistance.