I READ with some amazement Councillor Bill Dixon (Echo, May 12) waxing lyrical about what has been achieved by Darlington Borough Council’s departing CEO, Ada Burns, behind the scenes.

As a public service employee, commanding such a generous salary, I would have expected nothing less. I bet there are many people in the borough of Darlington on one eighth of the salary received by the CEO who do much “voluntary” work behind the scenes without the resources at the CEO’s disposal.

Remember the position has a salary of more than what the UK’s Prime Minister receives and who doesn’t, for one example, have to deal with implementing Brexit. I hope that the new person in the post has had written in their contract that on leaving the post under voluntary redundancy or early retirement there will be no gift of £200,001 as part of the leaving deal, but just a voluntary collection among the people the post has worked with.

Are the people of the borough allowed to know at this stage under the Freedom of Information legislation what is in the new contract? Over to you Bill Dixon.

Mike Taylor, Darlington