9 months ago
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Nuclear Waste Services has recently confirmed to the UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities that the Chair of Theddlethorpe GDF Community Partnership continues to receive £750 per day in his role, over six times the median daily salary in the East Lindsey District.
According to figures published last November by the Office of National Statistics, average median earnings in the district in April 2023 are £563.00 per week or £112.60 per day.[1]
To be fair to Chair Jon Collins his daily payment has declined during his tenure whilst average local earnings have risen significantly from 2022, but his total earnings in the role now appear to amount to over £160,000 and many local workers will feel shortchanged on hearing the news.
The NFLA Secretary first submitted a Freedom of Information Act request about the Chair’s renumeration in October 2022, and in December 2023 sent in a follow-up email seeking an update.
Nuclear Waste Services is the taxpayer funded body responsible for finding the location for a Geological Disposal Facility into which to dump all of Britain’s high-level radioactive waste. Theddlethorpe is one of three Search Areas under consideration. All three – Theddlethorpe, Mid-Copeland and South Copeland – first formed Working Parties and then Community Partnerships to provide limited local oversight to the process. NWS withdrew from a fourth area – Allerdale – in the autumn of last year.
In Theddlethorpe, Mr Collins was first engaged as the Independent Chair of the Working Party between October 2021 and June 2022, working for 57.7 days at a day rate of £1,000, then, following the subsequent establishment of the Community Partnership in July 2022, Mr Collins became its Interim Chair albeit taking a pay cut to £750 per day. Since that date Mr Collins has worked as Interim Chair for 65.5 days between July 2022 to March 2023 and 75.5 days between April and December 2023.
Based on these facts, Mr Collin’s earnings in both roles would have amounted in total to a staggering £163,450 which is a lot of lolly in a seaside town with average annual earnings under £30,000.
The NFLAs were first advised that the renumeration of the Interim Chair would end in December 2022, but this clearly did not happen, with payments having continued for a further twelve months.
Now Nuclear Waste Services have finally conceded that ‘the Partnership will commence the process to recruit a permanent Chair over the next three months (between January and March 2024)’.
For the sake of UK taxpayers, the NFLAs hope that this will lead to the appointment of a Chair with local connections on an unpaid basis as happened on the formation of Community Partnerships in Allerdale, Mid-Copeland and South-Copeland, where in each case a ward Councillor has taken on the role.
Ends//… For further information please contact the NFLA Secretary, Richard Outram, by email at richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk
Note to Editors
Freedom of Information Act request submitted to NWS on 23 December 2023
Dear NWS colleagues,
Please treat this as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.
With reference to the answers you gave me in your response to FOI 12991 you advised me that at the time Mr Jon Collins was engaged as Interim Chair of the Theddlethorpe GDF Community Partnership at a day rate of £750 working an average of two days per week, and that this arrangement was expected to finish by December 2022.
I note however that Mr Collins remains ‘Chair’. In the CP minutes prior to 20 April he is described as ‘Independent Interim Chair’ but from that meeting date 20 April he is simply described as ‘Chair’.
Please can I ask
1. Does this mean that Mr Collins has since 20 April 2023 been permanently appointed to the role? Or if not could you please advise the date you would anticipate terminating his engagement with the GDF CP?
2. What day rate Mr Collins continues to receive as ‘Chair’?
3. How many days work as ‘Independent Interim Chair’ of the Community Partnership Mr Collins completed prior to April 20, 2023 and how many days work he has completed since that date as ‘Chair’ of the Community Partnership to the end of 2023.
Many thanks
Richard Outram, BA (Hons),
Secretary, UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities and Mayors for Peace Chapter Secretary,
City Policy, Manchester City Council
Richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk
+44 (0) 7583 097793
The response received from NWS 19 January 2024
Dear Richard Outram,
FOI Ref: 023345
Thank you for your information request received on 27 December 2023 for the following:
Please treat this as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.
With reference to the answers you gave me in your response to FOI 12991 you advised me that at the time Mr Jon Collins was engaged as Interim Chair of the Theddlethorpe GDF Community Partnership at a day rate of £750 working an average of two days per week, and that this arrangement was expected to finish by December 2022.
I note however that Mr Collins remains ‘Chair’. In the CP minutes prior to 20 April he is described as ‘Independent Interim Chair’ but from that meeting date 20 April he is simply described as ‘Chair’.
Please can I ask
1. Does this mean that Mr Collins has since 20 April 2023 been permanently appointed to the role? Or if not could you please advise the date you would anticipate terminating his engagement with the GDF CP?
2. What day rate Mr Collins continues to receive as ‘Chair’?
3. How many days work as ‘Independent Interim Chair’ of the Community Partnership Mr Collins completed prior to April 20, 2023 and how many days work he has completed since that date as ‘Chair’ of the Community Partnership to the end of 2023.
I have treated your request under the Freedom of Information Act. Nuclear Waste Services holds the information that you have requested and the answers to your questions are provided below.
1. Jon Collins is the Interim Chair of the Theddlethorpe GDF Community Partnership (CP) and has never held the position of ‘Chair’. References to ‘Chair’ in the CP minutes are an abbreviation of the term ‘Interim Chair’. In line with the CP’s Governance Programme of Activities, it is anticipated that the Partnership will commence the process to recruit a permanent Chair over the next three months (between January and March 2024).
2. The Interim Chair’s day rate remains at £750.
3. The Theddlethorpe GDF Community Partnership was formed in July 2022. Since that date Mr Collins has worked as Interim Chair for 65.5 days between July 2022 to March 2023 and 75.5 days between April and December 2023.
Kind regards,
Nuclear Waste Services
1. Employee Earnings in the UK, Office for National Statistics, 1 November 2023.
Figure 9: Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees for all local authorities by place of work, April 2023
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2023
