THE former chief executive of Cornwall County Council is walking away with a half a million pound pay-off in a secret deal, according to leading councillors.

Sheila Healy was made redundant from the council last month. She is due to take up a temporary council post in Shropshire in the new year, with an estimated £200,000-a-year salary.

Councillors are outraged that the true figure of Mrs Healy's golden handshake is being kept secret and that money is being spent in this way against a backdrop of cash-starved services.

The WMN submitted a Freedom of Information request to the authority regarding the amount of money to be paid but was told that the sum is "the subject of a legally binding confidentiality agreement".

Cornwall will become a unitary authority next April and the appointment of a new chief executive, Kevin Lavery, who has already taken up his position as part of the restructuring process, made Mrs Healy's post redundant, a situation for which she was entitled to a pay-out.

Mr Lavery is on a salary of £200,000 a year.

Mrs Healy was on a salary of between £131,000 and £160,000 while working at County Hall. It is understood that officers would only say the severance payment would not exceed 90 weeks pay.

Cornwall County Council and the six district councils will cease to exist at midnight on March 31 next year, after which Cornwall will be controlled by the unitary authority, named Cornwall Council.

Coun John Payne (Lab), who is badgering the executive for a full answer, claimed that Mrs Healy could get about £300,000 as a one-off payment and an extra £200,000 in pension benefits – bringing the total up to half a million.

"This seems to me to give the message that the ruling executive don't care about ordinary people," said Coun Payne. "They throw money around at everything but then say there isn't enough to fund the fire service and adult social care adequately."

When Coun Payne asked the executive at a full council meeting how much Mrs Healy would be getting he was told by Coun Brian Higman, portfolio holder for corporate support, that the figure could not be revealed.

Coun Payne said: "I think it's disgusting that they won't tell us. It's obviously a big pay-off and that's all we're allowed to know."

Other councillors have joined the condemnation of Mrs Healy's golden handshake, saying it is an insult to people in Cornwall at a time of economic crisis.

Coun Mark Kaczmarek (Ind), who represents St Day, Lanner and Carharrack, said: "She has gone from one civil service job to another – no severance package should have been paid at all in my view. When you look at people being laid off at Fitzgerald Lighting they aren't getting deals like this.

"The whole issue is an insult to anyone out there who works for a living and an insult to councillors who have no say in how much money she should have got."

Coun Kaczmarek claims Mrs Healy will be paid £200,000 a year when she starts work on January 4 as the interim chief executive at Shropshire County Council, which is also undergoing transition to unitary council status.

Mrs Healy started at Cornwall County Council in June 2006, having previously worked in a number of local government posts in the West Midlands.

Coun Kaczmarek said: "These people take their whack and move on to the next highly paid job. It's about time the Government put a stop to it."

David Whalley, leader of Cornwall County Council, said that the rules applied to Mrs Healy would be applied to all council employees facing redundancy.

He said: "Sheila Healy was made redundant with the appointment of the new chief executive. She is one of a number of members of staff who will be getting redundancy payments and we don't release information about individuals."

Mrs Healy was unavailable for comment.