It has been revealed that recently resigned Deputy Mayor Beverley Hughes is to get six months extra part-time work in a new “assistant deputy mayor” position, but which carries exactly the same pay (pro-rata) as the deputy mayor.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “It’s one thing to have a good handover; it’s quite another to hand someone an ‘assistant’ role – on exactly the same wages as the full role – for six months.
“This will simply be reviewed in six months’ time. Really?
“If we need an assistant, there should already be one. Why has it just been created at this time? Is it poor organisation? Or is it an opportunity to give the outgoing Deputy Mayor a well-paid send-off?”
The Deputy Mayor recently stood down after GMP finally reached the minimum standard required to come out of special measures.
Councillor Al-Hamdani continued: “While Bev Hughes – under Andy Burnham – has been in charge of GMP, it has lost tens of thousands of crimes; wasted millions on a failed IT system; it was in special measures for nearly two years; it has been warned repeatedly about failing victims of domestic abuse and violence; and it has repeatedly failed to meet its own targets for neighbourhood policing, never mind produce figures on crime in each area.
“I’m not sure what support the outgoing Deputy Mayor is going to offer, but I sincerely hope that it doesn’t reflect the multiple failings of GMP on her watch.”