Staffordshire County Council boss suspended for nearly five months on full pay
A council chief is still suspended from duty on full pay five months on.
Jamie MacDonald, head of strategic property at Staffordshire County Council, has been paid £30,000 since December despite being suspended from the authority since then.
Furious Labour councillors have demanded the council tells residents what is going on and said five months is ‘more than long enough’ to reach a decision on Mr MacDonald’s future.
Staffordshire County Council continues to refuse to comment on the reasons for Mr MacDonald’s suspension, stating that ‘proper processes must be followed’.
Charlotte Atkins, a spokeswoman for the Labour group on the county council, said: “Certainly the public deserve to know what is going on but so does the employee. It is not good for him not knowing where he stands after such a long time.
“I suppose what has happened that with the election it has stalled.”
Labour county councillor Alan Dudson added: “Five months is more than long enough to reach a decision on this.”
Ian Parry, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and corporate matters, said: “We are conscious that time is passing and everyone is keen to see a resolution, however proper processes must be followed in the interests of fairness.”
Mr MacDonald, who earns £72,297 a year, was suspended on December 29 on full pay pending an investigation.
As well as his role with the council, which he joined in 2008, he is also a director of Penda Property Partnership
