Labour council chief who was paid £822,000 in salary while suspended for SIX years before being sacked now demands £300,000 MORE from taxpayers for holiday pay and pay rises he missed out on
- Anthony O’Sullivan wants council to compensate him for pay rise he wasn’t given
- He was sacked after six years on full pay of £137,000 despite being suspended
- Could be paid another £319,337 to cover holiday, election fees and legal fees
Anthony O’Sullivan was sacked by Caerphilly council in South Wales after an investigation found he was ‘grossly negligent’
A council chief executive who was paid his annual £137,000 salary over six years despite being suspended has now demanded another £300,000.
Anthony O’Sullivan was first suspended in 2013 over claims he gave himself a pay rise when other staff had a wage freeze.
But the 60-year-old continued to rake in six years of full pay at £137,000-a-year while sitting at home as he was suspended on ‘special leave.’
He was finally sacked by the Labour-run council after an independent investigation found he was ‘grossly negligent.’
O’Sullivan has now sent a bill to Caerphilly council in South Wales for £300,000.
The former chief executive claims the council should pay him for missed holidays, missed election fees and a pay rise he wasn’t awarded.
He is also claiming for legal fees he incurred when he faced a criminal charge that was later dropped.
He argues he was not able to take holidays because he was on special leave and he should have had the same increase in wage as other staff.
O’Sullivan also says he would have been entitled to election fees if he was not on leave.
Caerphilly council is holding a special meeting to discuss a claim submitted by Mr O’Sullivan that, if paid in full, would cost the authority at least £319,337
The long-running dispute is thought to have cost hard-up Caerphilly council up to £4m – at a time when hundreds of council staff were axed.
The row was sparked over claims Mr O’Sullivan, deputy Nigel Barnett and head of legal services Daniel Perkins authorised a 20 per cent pay rise for senior officers in 2012.
Criminal charges were dropped in 2015 and the two other men agreed payouts worth £300,000 between them.
But no agreement was made with Mr O’Sullivan and he was put on special leave, continuing to receive his salary.
Speaking after his sacking, Mr O’Sullivan said: ‘What I would say to the people of Caerphilly now is wait until the employment tribunal takes place in public, wait until the full facts emerge in the public domain. Then make a reasoned decision.’
He added the decision was made ‘clearly on political ground’ and said the matter ‘was far from concluded.’
Caerphilly Council said earlier this month that ‘serious allegations of gross misconduct had been proven’ and that ‘the right decision has been made.’
Commenting on Mr O’Sullivan’s demand for more than £300,000, a council insider said: ‘The people of Caerphilly county will be absolutely staggered at the cheek of these claims when Anthony O’Sullivan has already received more than £1m in pay and pension payments while sitting at home for the past six years.
‘Claiming £159,000 in lieu of leave beggars belief – he’s effectively been on holiday for the past six years. Anthony O’Sullivan has no shame and he’s clearly determined to take council taxpayers to the cleaners.’
A councillor who did not wish to be identified said: ‘I have never heard anything like this in my life. The council is already a laughing stock after paying him not to work for so long.
‘This absolutely takes the biscuit.’