Staffordshire County Council employees remain suspended after three months
Two Staffordshire County Council employees have been suspended for nearly three months on full pay, with the authority refusing to say why.
Head of HR Lisa Cartwright and strategic property chief, Jamie MacDonald, were suspended in December in separate incidents. They are currently under investigation.
The authority has today been labelled a 'shambles' over the suspensions, and accused of having a lack of transparency.
County Councillor George Adamson, who is also the leader of Cannock Chase District Council, has said the reason for the suspensions is in the public interest.
He said: "There is a definite lack of transparency. I think the council are hiding the fact that those at Stafford are a shambles and have no idea what is going on.
"The suspension of two senior officers is of major public interest."
County council bosses have confirmed the suspension of Ms Cartwright on December 7 and that of Mr MacDonald on December 29, but say it is 'not appropriate' to comment further.
Ian Parry, the county council's deputy leader and cabinet member responsible for finance and corporate matters, said: “Suspension is a neutral act that protects the employee and any other interested parties so that further investigations can take place.
“It is not appropriate to make any further comment at this time.”
Mr MacDonald, who joined the council in 2008, is also a director of Penda Property Partnership – a joint venture company set up between Kier and the council.
He and his department are responsible for transforming the way that council property is managed, establishing a corporate landlord approach and mapping the public estate.
He is one of the figures behind the authority’s money-saving initiative for public bodies to share offices.
Just a month before his suspension he gave a talk at the public sector show about 'realising the value driving potential of estate collaboration'.
Ms Cartwright has been head of HR at the council since October 2011.
Councillor Sue Woodward, leader of the Labour opposition, is on the committee that will make a decision on the two employees when investigations conclude.
She defended the council's stance on the suspensions, saying: "They are following the proper process, keeping in mind the organisation and the individual. The results will come when they come, you cannot rush these things."
