JOANNA Simons will receive a payout of nearly £600,000 if her position as Oxfordshire County Council chief executive is scrapped.

The redundancy package, which includes a payout of £151,147 and a pension totalling £422,796, was outlined in a report to county councillors yesterday.

They will be asked to vote on the financial matters at a meeting on Tuesday, February 17.

According to the report, Ms Simons requested the details of the redundancy package were made public.

Under the proposals, leader of the council Ian Hudspeth would take on a number of functions of the chief executive while other functions would be shared out among senior managers.

Mr Hudspeth said: "Ultimately this is about a cost-saving process of £250,000 a year from 2016/2017 that will help to protect vital services to the vulnerable residents of Oxfordshire."

Ms Simons was appointed in March 2005 and under the proposals will leave the council in June.

The report outlined the £422,796 early pension arrangement, a contractual requirement for Ms Simons.

It said: "This sum will be reimbursed directly into the Oxfordshire LGPS (Local Government Pension Scheme) Fund - it is not a direct payment to the chief executive."

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