In her final message to staff, council CEO describes a pay-off of possibly as much as £95,000 as ‘just my contractual notice period’.
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
In typical Croydon Council style under Katherine Kerswell’s leadership, it was the borough’s hard-working staff who were among the last to be told of today’s dramatic development on the executive floor of Fisher’s Folly.
Kerswell, the only council chief in Britain ever to issue three Section 114 notices during their tenure in the role, put a little memo out on the council’s internal communications system this morning.
Under a heading that read “Important message from Katherine Kerswell”, she (or one of her overpaid loyal lackeys) wrote: “Dear colleagues, A different message from me this week, as I write to share that I will be leaving Croydon Council. Today will be my last day with you all, after being your chief executive for the past five years.” As if the recipients of this notice weren’t all too aware of that already…
“I have worked in local government for over 30 years and have had the opportunity to serve as chief executive to seven different councils. Throughout that time, the consistent thread connecting the staff I have worked with; [sic] is our commitment to the values of public service and nowhere has that been more evident than in Croydon.
“We have delivered many improvements to the way our council works and most importantly how we connect with the people of our borough,” said the woman who closed Access Croydon, where the public could meet with council staff in Fisher’s Folly, while making it evermore difficult to reach council staff by telephone, and who ordered that council staff should be blocked from reading Inside Croydon, while at the same time persecuting council whistleblowers.
Getting their stories straight: both Mayor Perry and ex-CEO Kerswell have tried to suggest that paying her six months’ money in lieu of notice is not a ‘pay-off’
“But you and I know that we have had to do that in the face of hurdles and barriers that other local authorities simply do not have. Your commitment to turning our council around, your fortitude and tenacity to keep moving forward, how much you care about what you do and the people we are here to serve, continues to inspire me.
“Together we have rebuilt our foundations, repaired and restored . Our shared history will stay with me, and it has been a privilege to be a part of. [sic]
“To leave Croydon has been a difficult decision. Initially, I considered announcing I would leave after next May’s elections. However, from working on the detail of the delivery and readiness plans for the four-year Transformation Programme, it is clear that your chief executive needs to be able to dedicate themselves to that timeline.” Anyone fluent in councilspeak who can translate this into plain English would be most welcome to email us what Kerswell is trying to say.
“I have therefore made my decision to leave now so that new officer leadership can be recruited to ensure the programme has the best chance of success.”
Insiders are suggesting, with government-appointed Commissioners in place, that Kerswell will not be replaced, at least initially. And in doing so, they may manage to prove that the council can operate very well without her, or her £204,000 per year salary.
In her farewell message, Kerswell also went to some lengths to double-down on the “no pay-off” myth that appears to be the Tory Mayor’s line to try to avoid political flak for handing Kerswell as much as £95,000, rather than insist that she works her full notice period.
Laying it on a bit thick: how Kerswell told council staff of her somewhat abrupt departure
“And I want to be clear that I am receiving no additional payments when I leave – just my contractual notice period,” Kerswell wrote, perhaps placing too much emphasis on the word “just”.
Given her earlier reference to a May departure, this could suggest that Kerswell was on a six months’ notice period.
She continued: “We know how tough the past few years have been for Croydon – and the financial challenges the council continues to face.”
Kerswell leaves a local authority with debts of £1.4billion – around the same level as when she arrived in September 2020.
After trotting out the tried and trusted lines about the council being given adequate ratings by external inspectors for some of the services it still just about delivers, Kerswell added: “On a more personal note, I will really miss how you support and champion one another in your shout outs each week, reading through your awards nominations and the many stories of long service and people going above and beyond for the borough.
“I’ll also miss the heartfelt moments we have shared in our Tea Talks and the kindness and compassion of our Guardians and the many staff who reach out to each other and to me, that makes Croydon such a great place to work…
“… Recognition and thanks are vital in the work we do and so for the last time – thank you for all that you do for the people of Croydon.”
The note was signed off “Katherine”.
Inside Croydon this morning broke the news that Katherine Kerswell had resigned as chief executive.
Mayor Perry and the council’s dynamic team in the propaganda bunker at Fisher’s Folly were approached for comment, but had failed to respond by time of publication.
Read more: Kerswell takes another pay-off as she quits as council’s CEO
Read more: Council’s agency staff bill includes £726 per hour consultant
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Katherine Kerswell’s isn’t known for her self-awareness is she? She is delusional about her own performance if she thinks she’s improved the borough. She mistakes a trail of seven Chief Executive appointments as a badge of honour (including one where was was paid over 400k to leave after 16 months) rather than a glaring record of incompetence. That should have been considered a warning sign – especially after Negrini. Croydon Council has been a revolving door of failure, arrogance, and waste. Negrini, Kerswell, Cheesbrough and many others on top of Councillors who scarpered – Scott and Butler to name a couple (forgive the pun). Then there are those who continue to be paid or receive allowances – Nicola Townsend, Ross Gentry, Chris Clark. There are never consequences.
This pattern exposes the rot within local government’s recruitment, management, and oversight systems: mediocrity and failure are rewarded, incompetence is recycled, and the public foots the bill. We see highly paid employees repeatedly paid off for poor performance, before resurfacing in new taxpayer-funded roles – or high-paid consulting roles – as if accountability were optional. Why does it take so long for them to move or be moved on? IC has been exposing this for so long (and we just need to walk around the borough to see the results of their ‘performance’). Those known for failure, mismanagement, or questionable conduct – employees and Councillors – should not be shielded by bureaucracy or funded by the very people they’ve let down. They should be dealt with swiftly. Croydon residents deserve better than a system that protects its worst performers while punishing residents with both cuts and increased taxes.
You missed out on another Kerswell appointment, Dean “Shagger” Shoesmith, the head of HR who needs a consultant on £726 PER HOUR to help determine where the next round of job cuts should come from.
Was Shagger properly vetted over his previous local authority role (in Sutton), which he left, also with a pay-off, before Kerswell gave him a job in Fisher’s Folly?
Apologies. It was a major oversight to leave out the person responsible for the hiring and performance systems of Croydon Council.
What people seem to be missing is that in return for payment for your statutory notice period you are usually expected to actually work said period of notice.
Unless that is it’s a payoff when youve been sacked!
Unless your employer doesn’t want you to work your notice in which case you are paid “in lieu of notice” to buy out your contract.
If you continue to work normally then you are paid normally.
At times it can be much better for the organisation to pay in lieu of notice than have the employee keep working.
Indeed, but if it’s your choice to leave what half competent employer uses public funds to pay your notice period if you don’t work it. So, my comment about bing sacked still stands.
Chummy chats doth butter no parsnips.
In business you are rewarded by results
not a catalogue of failures.