Golden Goodbye? Questions Swirl Around Newham Chief’s Potential Exit Deal
Abi Gbago the current Chief Executive of Newham
Our sources at Dockside have whispered something that, frankly, should surprise no one familiar with the chaos that has engulfed Newham Council in recent years. Abi Gbago, the Council’s Chief Executive, could soon be the former Chief Executive. Sources familiar with the situation have indicated that Gbago could be in line for a substantial payoff. Newham Council, currently lurching from one financial crisis to another, could be about to hand over an undisclosed payoff to its departing top official.
It might be standard fare in local government circles, but the timing here stinks. Residents have just been whacked with an eye-watering 8.99% council tax rise. Meanwhile, the Council’s workforce has endured years of paltry pay settlements. But when it comes to smoothing the exit of the person at the top, apparently there’s always money to spare.
When Gbago was appointed in July 2023, the Mayor was positively glowing: “Abi shares our vision for Newham to become an exemplar in local government,” Rokhsana Fiaz said at the time, promising dynamism, fairness and best-in-class services. Fast forward less than two years and Newham has been slapped with a C4 rating by the housing regulator, served a Best Value Notice by Whitehall, and gone cap in hand to the government for £51.2 million in exceptional financial support.
Oh, and who can forget the embarrassment of the Mayor taking her own council to court and the disastrous handling of it by Senior officers? They even tried to blame it on the Standards Advisory Committee of the time. A move that led to the chair resigning in protest. A casual observer might fairly ask: what exactly has improved since Gbago took the reins?
We’ll leave the historians to answer that. But here’s one modest suggestion. Instead of burying the details of any payoff behind closed doors and NDA clauses, why not bring the full package to the next full council meeting for a vote? Rather than leave it to keen observers of these matters to have to find it in the annual accounts next year alongside all the other payoffs. After all, councillors had to publicly approve Gbago’s appointment. Shouldn’t they, and by extension the residents they represent, also get a say on how much public money is spent showing her the door?