13 June 2003
Scottish councils were this week praised by the Accounts Commission in a report on their handling of the costly early retirement of officers.
The report was conducted in the wake of decisions to 'tighten up' retirement protocols, which had become a burden on many authorities' finances. In it, the commission said councils were now taking full account of the cost of early retirement, including the real cost of paying the pension early. Consequently, the number of early retirements had fallen.
Brain McGhee, deputy chair of the Accounts Commission, said: 'Overall, councils have responded positively to our recommendations and councils now routinely weigh up the full cost of early retirements against potential savings.'
But McGhee warned that there was still 'room for improvement' in some authorities. 'About half the councils need to give elected members more information to enable them to properly monitor retirement numbers and costs,' he said.
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