You’ve got feel for our friends at the SWRDA – Chair Juliet Williams and Chief Executive Jane Henderson – struggling along on pro rata pay packages with benefits worth around just £166,000 and £170,000 a year respectively.
How do they cope? But don’t worry too much because the pair are also entitled to claim travel expenses. Last year Chair Williams claimed £9984.13 in travel while CEO Henderson must have slummed it a bit and got by on just £8,837.02.
Since Williams only works three days a week that means every time she stepped out the front door to go to work for us, it cost us another seventy-odd quid in travel on top of the £700 we pay her for each day she works.
In comparison, Henderson – who apparently works a full week – only charges us about forty quid every single day in travel on top of her £700 a day salary.
Chief Executive Officer Jane Henderson and Chairman Juliet Williams instigated a discourteous and unethical act upon three members of the public. Student Val Shearer of Dartington College of Arts, lawyer Simon Cassell, and Totnes Town Councillor Chris Robillard were covertly recorded at a pre-meeting at SWRDA offices in Exeter on 21st Jan 2008. The CEO and Chair instructed another member of their executive, Jeff Chinnock, to secretly record their conversation. This was done without the knowledge or permission of the three invited members of the public. How can we protect ourselves from this kind of behaviour by overpaid and obviously untrustworthy public servants? There is documentary evidence of them admitting to this unpleasant behaviour. There is also a transcript of the secret recording. It looks as if Juliet Williams’s job is up for grabs. It would be in the public interest for both to resign immediately.
Valpy