Quiet over CEO’s $30k moving fee
Just weeks after being hauled over the coals by the Chief Ombudsman for a culture of secrecy, the Christchurch City Council is at it again.
The authority has refused to reveal how, and if at all, new chief executive Dawn Baxendale spent a $30,000 allowance as part of her financial package to relocate from the UK earlier this year.
Baxendale was recruited from the Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in Europe, to replace Christchurch’s former boss Karleen Edwards, who stepped down in June.
Along with a salary of $495,000, Baxendale was offered the relocation fee to help her move to Christchurch, a common incentive when trying to attract top talent.
The authority has refused to reveal how the money was spent – despite being funded from the ratepayers’ pockets – saying it would breach her right to privacy.
The decision was made by the chief executive’s own office, though it is not known whether Baxendale knew of the request from media or if she had a say in the decision.
Less than two weeks ago, Baxendale herself declared the council should be ‘‘open and transparent’’, promising to ‘‘drive a culture change through all levels of our organisation’’ in response to an ombudsman investigation that revealed some council leaders had falsified reports to hide negative information from councillors and the public.
The Press asked the council several questions about how public money was being used to fund Baxendale’s relocation, including for itemised receipts to outline what the $30,000 was spent on and whether all of it was used.
The Press also asked if the fee paid for her flights – and if so, how she travelled – and whether any of the $30,000 was used to bring over pets, including Oscar, her 3-yearold beagle labrador cross dog. Oscar’s journey would have required veterinary fees in the UK to meet the import requirements of the Ministry for Primary Industries, freighting costs, quarantine and an import permit – together likely to have cost more than
$5000.
But the council refused to release the information, citing a privacy clause in the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) – the same legislation that Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier said the council was using badly.
Baxendale’s office said the authority had ‘‘carefully considered your request’’.
‘‘We have concluded that in this case, public interest does not outweigh chief executive Dawn Baxendale’s right to privacy.
‘‘We have, therefore, decided to refuse your request under the following section of the LGOIMA:
7(2)(a) – to protect the privacy of natural persons.’’
In an interview with The Press last month, Baxendale was unsure whether she would use the entire
$30,000 relocation budget, promising to ‘‘be as frugal as I can’’.
But she said it would cost her ‘‘significantly more’’ to move to Christchurch than the funding allowed for.
She has been joined in Christchurch by teenage son Elliott, while husband Scott will be moving here just before Christmas. Another son, Jacob, is studying at the University of Exeter.