Newcastle City Council Chief exits after months of questions

Nov 6 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

MP demands facts

NEWCASTLE MP Jim Cousins has called on the city’s council to reveal details of any pay-off to its departing chief executive.

The Labour MP also claimed Ian Stratford had shown "poor leadership".

But Tyne Bridge Labour MP David Clelland said: "I have no idea why he has decided to leave there. It comes as a complete surprise."

Newcastle Central’s Mr Cousins said: "It does not surprise me. I think Stratford has shown very poor leadership over a number of very important issues on which Newcastle has now has pretty much well missed the boat."

Mr Cousins, a Commons Treasury Committee member, demanded that details of any pay-off be made public.

That echoes a call by city council leader John Shipley for a secret deal between Newcastle Airport and its former boss to be made public. The airport was suing ex-chief executive John Parkin and the estate of the late Lars Friis, its former finance director, over £8.5m bonus pay.

It was settled out of court, but no details were revealed despite use of public money from seven councils with airport stakes.

A council spokesman said confidentiality prevented him revealing any pay-off. Mr Stratford’s salary and bonus last year amounted to about £175,000.

Chorus of criticism grew

IAN STRATFORD’S time as chief executive at Newcastle Council will not go down as among the greatest.

While many transformational changes have taken place in the city during his six years in charge, councillors on both sides of the chamber have privately – and sometimes openly – wondered if the council could have achieved more.

Their thoughts were reflected in a damning 2006 OECD report bemoaning the "absence of capacity and leadership in the region". And in August last year the Audit Commission warned the council was being held back by weak management.

And Newcastle has also fallen foul of the Commission’s star rating system.

Despite being the region’s leading authority, and considered one of the UK’s "core eight" of most important cities, Ian Stratford’s council has yet to achieve full marks in annual Audit Commission appraisals.

Before Liberal Democrats took over the council, Mr Stratford faced criticism for spending £232,000 to help set up the Lloyds TSB centre in Central Square, only to watch as the bank instead sent jobs to India. Key developments, including Science City, have proceeded more slowly than expected. Mr Stratford went under the spotlight when ex-Newcastle Airport boss John Parkin was awarded a multi-million-pound bonus. Many on the council believe Mr Stratford should have given the airport deal greater scrutiny.

As pressure built in the last weeks, news broke that the authority’s planning blueprint had been rejected by Government bosses.

With the council’s planning reputation in tatters, city leader John Shipley knew he had to salvage its battered reputation.