Shocked by council chief’s huge payout
RE: ‘Former council chief top of ‘rich list’ after pay-out’ (Apr 21).
Can someone please, please, explain why Chris West, former executive director of resources at Coventry City Council, was given a £448,230 redundancy pay-off last year? This was one of the highest payments in England given to an council employee.
Coventry isn’t even the largest city by population in the country.
Mr West took early retirement from his £150,000 per year role after 34 years. No wonder our rates have been increased. Natalie Dunk Allesley
Public sector chiefs rewarded for failure
MY father worked for Coventry City Council for well over 40 years. He accepted that his wages were lower than in the private sector because it was an honour to be a public servant. This ‘public sector ethos’, serving the citizens of Coventry, was shared by his colleagues. In return, they did have more job security and a good pension. Margaret Thatcher wanted the public services to be like private companies and the citizens to be treated like customers. The result has been that, like the private sector, those at the top get very high wages and bonuses regardless of whether they are successful or not. In large companies, fat cats are often rewarded for failure. The ‘customer focus’ in the public sector means that what is spent on services is more important than what is achieved.
It must be difficult for our low paid workers to have a public sector ethos when the bosses are disproportionately rewarded.
Why have our councillors allowed this to happen? Rob Wheway Coventry Liberal Democrats
Congratulations to Queen Elizabeth
IN amongst the music in the BBC’s tribute to the Queen was an item showing her declaration in the 1950s to dedicate herself to build the idea of a Commonwealth of Nations from the old Empire.
How brilliant and successful to join together such a diverse group of people into a world organisation with common cultures and aims. Her support and achievement has been quite outstanding.
It is a pity that our politicians have been slow to take advantage of this unique organisation, bound together by tradition and language.
Post-Brexit, the greatest of opportunities will arrive for the Commonwealth and Britain. I hope that they will this time rise to the same challenge that came to our 19th century forbears, when they gave democracy to over 50 nations of the old Empire, by forging closer links. P Wilson Nuneaton
Name choice for film not flattering
I HAVE just been down the town to the exhibition of Coventry on film.
In the most part it was good but I must say I was really unhappy about the choice of name – Ghost Town, The Haunting of Coventry.
Something like Motor City would be more appropriate and a little more flattering. Martyn Lomas Copsewood
Pondering the truth about Trump
DONALD Trump’s problem is nobody knows when he’s telling the truth.
For instance, was the billionaire property speculator and ex-reality star correct when he claimed to have met Russian president Vladimir Putin? Or was he correct when he subsequently insisted he never met him?
He certainly lacks self awareness. In denouncing ‘fake news’, Trump has embraced scores of smears against opponents and repeatedly voiced sham allegations that Barack Obama wasn’t born in the US. He was.
We’ve no idea if claims of Russian entrapment or sexual misconduct are true, but after Trump was taped boasting he grabbed women and could do anything he wanted, it isn’t hard to grasp why some people might believe him. Andy McDonald Tile Hill