Council leader appoints wife to £9k-a-year role

THE leader of Wiltshire Council has been criticised by a former member of his party for awarding a top job to his own wife.

Councillor Edward Kirk has quit the Tory group in protest after Richard Clewer awarded the £9,000-perannum role to his wife Zoë Clewer.

The councillor, for the Redlynch and Landford division, has become the portfolio holder for communications, a role which will earn her a “special responsibility allowance” of £8,927 a year, along with her basic councillor’s allowance of £15,869 a year.

Cllr Kirk, now an “ungrouped” councillor, considers this to be “problematic”.

He said: “During a group Teams meeting where the leader announced his decision, I expressed the need for public accountability, but this was dismissed.”

Councillor Kirk claimed that the portfolio did not previously exist, which Councillor Clewer denied.

Councillor Clewer argued that although the portfolio has not been awarded in recent years, in 2020, the previous Leader of the Council, Philip Whitehead, appointed Councillor Chris Williams as Portfolio Holder for MCI, Communications, AONB, ESIF and Canals.

Nevertheless, Councillor Kirk said the portfolio “lacks a published job description” and “is accountable to no one other than the leader himself”.

He said: “While I acknowledge that leader is entitled, under the council’s constitution, to establish numerous portfolio positions and to allocate the taxpayer-funded annual allowance of £8,927 to anyone he chooses, including members of his own household, I find this approach problematic.

“I do not believe it aligns with the Nolan principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.”

Councillor Richard Clewer said that he believed the decision was a “sensible thing to do”.

He said: “It’s about having someone who can join up the various different threads from the administration side and the officer’s side.”

He explained that the role involved putting the “right messaging across” to ensure people are “better informed”.

Regarding Councillor Kirk’s decision to leave, Councillor Clewer said: “Edward has been trying to get changes made to the way that Portfolio Holders or various posts are filled for a long time, and not been making any headway with the group.”

The leader of Wiltshire’s Liberal Democrat group, Councillor Ian Thorn, said: “It’s always dangerous in public life to promote a member of your family.

“You have to be absolutely confident of your decision. I suggest Richard should think again.”