Axeman council cuts petition about its chief executive's pay
Wednesday, 2nd February 2011.
A Suffolk resident has written to prime minister David Cameron after a petition to reduce the county council chief executive's pay was withdrawn from council’s website after one day.
Residents are able to put up petitions on the council’s website for various policies which can be debated by the full council.
At present there is one about Place Court care home in Haverhill and many calling for individual libraries to be saved.
They are usually left online for three months to give people the chance to sign them.
However after Peter Freeman put up a petition entitled: “I wish to request a significant reduction in Andrea Hill’s salary,” on January 24 it was taken down the following day.
Andrea Hill is the county council's chief executive and, at £220,000 a year, one of the highest-paid local government officials in the country.
She recently caused controversy by launching a £400,000 staff training programme, involving techniques used by hypnotist Paul McKenna, at a time when services are being cut across the county to save money.
During the day it was online seven people had signed the petition and were sent a message from the county saying: “I regret to inform you that I have de-activated the e-petition on the Suffolk County Council website.
“The reason is that the desired action of the petition is not within the legal power of the council to process. I am informing you as one of the signatories of the petition.”
Residents are able to put up petitions on the council’s website for various policies which can be debated by the full council.
At present there is one about Place Court care home in Haverhill and many calling for individual libraries to be saved.
They are usually left online for three months to give people the chance to sign them.
However after Peter Freeman put up a petition entitled: “I wish to request a significant reduction in Andrea Hill’s salary,” on January 24 it was taken down the following day.
Andrea Hill is the county council's chief executive and, at £220,000 a year, one of the highest-paid local government officials in the country.
She recently caused controversy by launching a £400,000 staff training programme, involving techniques used by hypnotist Paul McKenna, at a time when services are being cut across the county to save money.
During the day it was online seven people had signed the petition and were sent a message from the county saying: “I regret to inform you that I have de-activated the e-petition on the Suffolk County Council website.
“The reason is that the desired action of the petition is not within the legal power of the council to process. I am informing you as one of the signatories of the petition.”
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