SIX council employees in Carmarthenshire were awarded exit packages of more than £100,000 last year, new figures have shown.

That was four more than the previous year — but the latest overall redundancy bill for the authority was lower.

There were a total of 118 exit packages in 2017/18, which cost the council £2.87 million. Most of these payouts were less than £20,000 — but of the 40 that were higher, six were in a £100,000 to £150,000 bracket.

The 162 exit packages the previous year — 2016/17 — cost £3.02 million. Two of them were in the £100,000 to £150,000 bracket. The figures are contained in the authority’s draft statement of accounts, which are due to be discussed by the audit committee on July 13.

Although expensive, exit packages are one-off payments which are recouped within a couple of years, assuming the post is not filled again.

What else did the draft statement of accounts say?
Carmarthenshire Council spent £541.1 million on its revenue, or day-to-day budget, in 2017/18. The biggest portion of this went on education (£184.2 million). Like other authorities, it also receives income, which came to £238.8 million. This means its net expenditure for the year, give or take some accounting adjustments and other calculations, was £331.9 million.

Where does the council’s income come from?
The largest element is via the Welsh Government’s revenue support grant, followed by council tax and the redistribution of business rates. The net proceeds from council tax, including precepts for organisations like Dyfed-Powys Police, was £104 million in 2017/18, which was £4 million more than the previous year.

What about spending on capital schemes like new schools and roads?
That came to £66.4 million, which was financed by a combination of borrowing and grants, among other things. And a further £21. 4 million was spent on council house refurbishments and buying additional housing stock.

Do the draft accounts say anything about high-earning employees?
Yes, there is some detail. A total of 96 employees earned more than £60,000 (excluding pension contributions), four more than the previous year. The figure included three teachers in voluntary-aided schools. But the 96 figure excludes chief executive Mark James, and directors and heads of service in the management team. Mr James earned £191,699 in 2017/18, with £20,800 of this sum on account of his role as returning officer during the local Government elections in May 2017.

The draft statement of accounts said he received no pension contributions. The next highest paid officer was director of communities Jake Morgan, who received £135,540 plus £20,466 pension contributions, followed by director of corporate services Chris Moore, who earned £121,045 plus £18,278 pension contributions, director of environment Ruth Mullen, who was paid £120,565 plus £18,278 pension contributions, and director of education Gareth Morgans, who earned £118,566 plus £17,840 pensions contributions.

What about loans, borrowing and money in reserves?
The council has loaned just over £1 million to the National Botanic Garden of Wales, and it was agreed last November that this interest-free loan would be extended a further two years to March 2020. The council also has a longer-standing loan agreement with the Scarlets. The £2.4 million loan is over 15 years — and interest payments of £216,000 have been deferred to the end of this period. The draft statement of accounts also said that the council has received £3.4 million plus interest from administrators following a £4 million-plus investment by the council in 2008 in an Icelandic bank, which later collapsed. The council also has £81.1 million in reserves for specific purposes, and £31.4 million in general reserves. And its total borrowing figure at the end of March this year stood at £400 million.

How much were allowances and expenses for the 73 councillors?
The bill for 2017/18 was £1.28 million, which was up by a tiny fraction on the previous year.