Caerphilly Chief Executive has been on "Gardening Leave" for 6 years.

The saga or  rather farce of the Chief Executive of Caerphilly Council  continues

As the Wasting Mules reports 

"Councillors have begun considering in secret whether disciplinary action should be taken against the chief executive of Caerphilly council , who has been on “gardening leave” for more than six years.
Anthony O’Sullivan was initially suspended in March 2013 after inflation-busting pay rises deemed unlawful were awarded to him and other senior managers at the authority.

He wrote a report which recommended his own salary should rise from £132,000 to £158,000. The suspension was later redefined as “special leave”. After a public outcry his pay rise was reduced to £5,000.
In a public interest report, Anthony Barrett, the Assistant Auditor General for Wales, wrote: “I have concluded that the decision by the senior remuneration committee on September 5, 2012, to approve the recommended pay structure set out in the chief executive’s report to that committee was unlawful.”
Mr Barrett went on to conclude that the meeting had been conducted unlawfully because it had not been properly advertised, that the agenda had not been made available for public inspection, that certain officers who stood to benefit were present throughout, that no declarations of interest were made, that the report recommending the increases was written by Mr O’Sullivan, a beneficiary who gave advice on a matter in which he had a pecuniary interest, and that the full range of options put forward by a consultancy hired to look at senior pay had not been included in the chief executive’s report.
Another report from Mr Barrett concluded that Caerphilly council also acted unlawfully when it paid its chief officers to “buy out” their entitlements to an essential car user allowance and annual leave allowance. Mr Barrett said the decision to buy out the allowances was done without proper authority or clear recording of how the decision was made, that the chief officer group all had a conflict of interest, as they held a pecuniary or personal interest in the decision, and there was no evidence that the decision to buy out the allowances was published, contrary to the council’s constitution.
In the council’s financial accounts for 2012-13, the Wales Audit Office said that £488,927 was paid out unlawfully to Caerphilly officers following the three separate decisions: £270,364 in unlawful pay rises, £102,709 in unlawful buy-out payments to compensate for the loss of essential car user allowances, and £115,854 in unlawful buy-outs of additional annual leave.
Two other senior council officers who had been on extended gardening leave as a result of the pay scandal – deputy chief executive Nigel Barnett and head of legal services Daniel Perkins – received severance packages in 2017. But Mr O’Sullivan has continued to be on gardening leave while an independent investigator has looked into whether he should be disciplined.
On Thursday afternoon a committee of seven councillors met behind closed doors to begin their consideration of the lengthy report into all three matters, which they have not been allowed to take out of the committee room.
A political source said: “The case for and against Mr O’Sullivan has been set out in great detail and councillors are going through it. Further meetings are due to be held in June and July.”The disciplinary committee is chaired by Labour councillor Colin Gordon, who said: “It would not be appropriate to comment at this stage.”
The cost of the scandal to Caerphilly council tax payers in terms of payments to Mr O’Sullivan, those doing his job in his absence, legal fees etc was recently estimated at more than £6.3m."

Regular reader of Private Eye "Rotten Boroughs "which  reports on dubious practises, absurdity and corruption in local government , will note that  the whole issue of Council Chief Executives and other senior officials, throughout the UK is a sorry one.

Even if they prove incompetent or are found guilty of breaking council rules, they never seem to be dismissed but receive a very generous severance passage, and move into a similar job with another council almost immediately.

It's almost as if there was a Secret Society among Senior Councillors and Officials, that look out for each other!