Council boss to discuss $30K relocation fee with Ombudsman

Christchurch City Council chief executive Dawn Baxendale will discuss her $30,000 relocation fee with the Chief Ombudsman on Friday.

It was revealed by The Press on Wednesday her office had refused to release details of how the money was spent.

Mrs Baxendale and her family relocated from Birmingham and part of her contract with the city council was the $30,000 relocation fee.

Late on Wednesday, the city council told starnews.co.nz the earlier decision not to release details stood.

However, the matter would be discussed between Mrs Baxendale and Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier at a scheduled meeting tomorrow over his recent damning report.

Mr Boshier’s report alleged senior city council staff had manipulated reports and withheld negative information from elected members and the public.

The issues happened before Mrs Baxendale took up her position at the city council.

A request into how the $30,000 fee was spent was declined by her office, stating that in this case public interest did not outweigh Mrs Baxendale’s right to privacy.

At Friday’s meeting Mrs Baxendale said she would also be asking him for details about the city council reports - which were alleged to have been manipulated and who authored them - in his assessment of the city council.

Mrs Baxendale said she would be taking advice from the Chief Ombudsman as to whether that information could be made public.

Starnews.co.nz asked Mayor Lianne Dalziel if she supported the decision to withhold the details of how the relocation fee was spent.

Said Ms Dalziel: “A relocation fee of up to $30,000 was negotiated as part of the chief executive’s employment package and that is all that can be said on the matter.”

Only a week after Mr Boshier’s report, another report from Audit New Zealand on the repair of the Christchurch Town Hall said: “Council provided us with a limited range of documentation” and “concerns were raised with us about the adequacy of the reporting for the project, particularly to governance (elected members).”

The report found the project was “beset by some significant issues and raised concerns over its financial robustness. It stated the project had 850 unresolved contractor claims at one point.

The project was originally expected to cost $127 million but the final cost amounted to $166 million after delays to a three-year earthquake repair and strengthening project which began in mid-2015.