LOCAL government in Essex has shed staff and public services at a grim pace since the start of the austerity era.

Yet one area appears to be completely immune from the axe. Top executives continue to be remunerated with dizzying rates of pay, or, on some occasions, pay-offs. The latest example is the case of Robert Overall, Essex County Council’s former head of highways.

Mr Overall presided over the great switch-off of street lamps, designed as a cost-cutting measure. Mr Overall himself has not been exactly a cost-cutting item on ECC’s balance sheet. It has emerged that Mr Overall was paid £116,663 when he left the council, by way of “compensation for loss of employment”.

Yet his role as highways boss continues to function, albeit under a different title.

It appears that Mr Overall’s departure may have been connected to health problems.

Under the circumstances, the six-figure sum in taxpayers’ money paid to Mr Overall looks excessive, and almost shocking against the background of austerity and job losses. And yet – if we set the sum against Mr Overall’s annual salary of almost £200,000, £116,663 starts to look almost like a bargain.

Councils will continue to argue that they need to pay high to get the best people.

But to many ordinary taxpayers they will still seem over-inflated.