"We are reaching for the stars," said council leader Wesley Fitzgerald in 2008 when he appointed Erik Wenzel, chief executive officer, on a monumental remuneration package totalling £230k.
It was a statement surpassed only by President George Bush’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ speech aboard USS Abraham Lincoln three days after the invasion of Iraq. So far Cheshire East has forked out £19m of our money on redundancies and voluntary retirement so another £93k to Ms Wenzel is neither here nor there (if you forget the £19m CEC needs to save in this financial year).
Cheshire East Unitary Authority was sold to residents on the premise it would save money. How would you say it’s doing so far?
Our council has a penchant for hiring execs that leave with big pay-offs after minimal service so whatever recruitment process they employ has not served us well.
Let’s face it, we’d have been no worse-off swapping a cow for some magic beans. Now the king has abdicated and the queen is no longer in residence can we PLEASE see an end to these senseless contracts that bind us to pay and conditions we simply cannot afford?
Authorities all over the country are shedding staff; it’s a buyer’s market. There are a lot of very competent executives looking for employment and no need to offer outrageous packages. This is an opportunity to set terms and conditions in line with our financial circumstances and a chance for CEC to demonstrate some financial prudence.
Don’t hold your breath.
