The General Purposes Committee of Brent Council met on Monday 7 September 2026 to discuss and approve a severance payment for a member of staff following a restructure. The committee unanimously approved the severance payment, which is part of a wider initiative to achieve savings within the Shared Technology Service.

Approval to Make Severance Payment

The committee approved a severance payment for an employee of the Shared Technology Service, which is an inter-authority arrangement between Brent, Lewisham, and Southwark councils. This payment arises from a planned restructure within the service, which will reduce the number of Heads of Service from four to three. The post of Head of Partnerships and Projects is being deleted, and the current postholder has volunteered for redundancy.

The restructure is expected to save the councils approximately £156,000 per year, with an estimated payback period of within two years. The total cost of the severance package, including redundancy, severance, and pension strain costs, exceeds £100,000, necessitating approval from the General Purposes Committee.

Councillor Gwen Grahl, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources, highlighted that the council is under significant financial pressure and is committed to reviewing its senior staffing structure to ensure value for money. Councillor Keith Perrin questioned the rationale behind the restructure, suggesting it was due to a partner leaving rather than streamlining. However, officers clarified that the restructure was planned prior to Southwark Council's notice of exit from the shared service.

The committee also discussed the governance procedures for approving such payments. It was explained that while the cost to Brent Council individually falls below the £100,000 threshold for full council approval, the total cost across the three authorities, including pension strain, exceeds this amount. Bringing the matter to the General Purposes Committee was deemed good practice for transparency and accountability. The committee unanimously approved the severance payment, associated costs, and noted that the payment adheres to the council's Managing Change Policy and Local Government Pension Scheme regulations. The implementation of the agreed changes is expected to take place from the week commencing 14 September 2026.