Somerset County Council has this week revealed the legal costs that it has incurred directly relating to the departure of its former Chief Executive Officer Sheila Wheeler.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, the council said: “In any dispute with a Chief Executive Officer, a Council has to follow nationally agreed statutory guidelines and appoint an independent barrister. Somerset County Council complied with this statutory process.”
“The cost for this process has now been published and totals £55,000. These are the only legal costs directly relating to the departure of the then Chief Executive in February and include costs for drawing up the legal agreement signed by both sides.”
“Sheila Wheeler left the authority with a three month notice period paid up – a total of £40,000. There were no pension contributions on top of this sum.”
“Somerset County Council can also publish costs of defending itself against a complaint against several individuals within the Council. This cost totalled £109,000. It was not related to the departure of the CEO and was dealt with through an independent process.”
