£680 a day

Jul 17 2008 by John Rowbotham, Hamilton Advertiser

SOUTH Lanarkshire Council’s former boss is being paid £680 A DAY to run a local authority in Northern Ireland.

Michael Docherty’s temporary appointment has sparked a row at troubled Craigavon Borough Council.

The 56-year-old was drafted in to the Armagh authority three months ago to replace the chief executive, who was off with stress. The official, Francis Rock, had earlier received a death threat in the form of a bullet and a note threatening him and his family.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by a paper there, the Lurgan Mail, showed that, since Mr Docherty’s appointment as interim chief executive on April 1, the council had forked out almost £20,000 in fees.

A total of £680 a day was being paid to an agency for Mr Docherty’s services. No less than £10,880 had been paid out in April and a further £6120 in May.

Craigavon council tax-payers also forked out £675 in May for Mr Docherty’s accommodation.

Payments of £680 a day equate, before tax, to £3400 a month and almost £160,000 a year.

Mr Docherty was given a six-month contract, starting in April, and that has already been extended three months to December.

Craigavon council employees were shocked when they discovered how much Mr Docherty was being paid.

One admitted that the former South Lanarkshire boss was a “no-nonsense kind of guy who would sort out the multitude of problems within the council”.

He admitted: “We knew he was an expensive guy but this is unbelievable.”

Mr Docherty stood down in September, 2006, from his £130,000 post as chief executive of South Lanarkshire Council. He had taken over the job on a five-year contract in 2000, and agreed in February, 2004, to stay on for a further two years.

He did not receive a ‘golden handshake’ when he left the council, but was eligible for the generous severance terms available to staff who are members of the local authority pension scheme.

Craigavon is a new town built between Lurgan and Portadown. The council there provide services for 86,000 people but have been beset with problems over the past year.

A listening device was discovered in a council official’s office and there have been 27 grievances lodged by staff members over the past 12 months..