ANGER erupted over secrecy at Blackpool town hall when the public were excluded from a meeting to discuss the chief executive's retirement deal.

The public were made to leave the executive committee meeting when chief executive Graham Essex-Crosby's severance details came up for discussion and the confidentiality issue went to the vote.

Committee members approved a new policy recommendation for all staff on early retirement and redundancy at the meeting. The new policy includes the application of compensatory added years (CAY) at the council's discretion.

Mr Essex-Crosby, aged 53, announced plans to retire in March 2002. The policy means that he will be entitled to three extra years service contributions towards his pension.

But rumours of a severance pay of £250,000 for Mr Essex-Crosby were misleading said Carol Mills, head of personnel at the town hall.

"That's incorrect. The £250,000 relates to the actuarial costs of him retiring early. It's not the amount that he's getting, it's the amount that it costs the pension fund to pay for his early retirement," she explained.

"His pension, like everyone else's, is based upon the salary he gets and the number of years he's worked in local government. Of course, because he's the chief executive he gets a higher salary, it costs a bit more money and we have to pay that back over a five year period.

"And obviously any council employee's retirement pension is public money. He has worked in local government for about 35 and a bit years, so his pension is based upon those years plus the three years added which we give everyone who goes on early retirement."

Conservative leader Peter Callow said: "Too many things have been happening lately which the people have quarrels with and really what's got to be seen is openness, fairness and everything has got to be above board.

"Confidence in the councillors and the council administration -- many of these things have taken a knock."

Liberal Democrat leader Coun Robert Wynne also said that the matter should have been dealt with in public, without suspicion.

But acting leader of the council, Coun Roy Fisher, said that the discussion was held in private because committee members were dealing with an individual's personal terms. He added that if one person's details were discussed it would set a precedent.

Mr Essex-Crosby said: "It's normal council policy to deal with these matters in private. A report to the committee made it clear that the £250,000 is not paid to me.

"I've contributed to the pension fund since I was 18 and clearly the pension I'm paid is a result of all those contributions, which I regard as a private matter.

"I would hope this would not put a cloud over my departure. I just did what I thought was right in the circumstances, which was to ask the council if I could retire early and to give them sufficient notice to recruit a successor. I've only asked that I be treated the same as other members of staff. I hope this can be put behind us and we can move on."