Bizarre staff intervention stuns council meeting

Welshpool Town Council’s Operations Manager, Paul McGrath, was so incensed by a comment made at last night’s chaotic monthly meeting that he rang a councillor mid-debate to make his feelings known.

Mr McGrath was one of the many people following the meeting online, which at times descended into arguments between councillors in the chamber.

He took exception to comments made regarding a new ‘electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme’ that will allow staff members to benefit from exchanging part of their salary for a company car.

But before approving it, Cllr Phil Pritchard wanted to point out that in the initial discussions at committee level it was agreed that: “None of our employees will be able to connect these vehicles to our electric chargers.”

Town Clerk, Richard Williams, confirmed this would be the case, but midway through the next debate, Cllr Sally Fitzgerald interrupted: “I have just had a phone call from our Ops Manager. He wasn’t very happy with what was just said in here. He wants to let it be known that they don’t steal anything off the council, never have done and never will do.”

The Mayor, Cllr Phil Owen, responded: “I don’t think the insinuation was made?”

But Cllr Fitzgerald added: “No, but he is very upset. So, I had to say something.”

Last night’s meeting was one of the most feisty in recent memory, and descended into chaotic scenes when three councillors stormed out after being ousted from a committee to steer the massive Town Hall transformation work. That earlier story is also on the site.

What is a salary sacrifice scheme?

A salary sacrifice scheme is an agreement between an employee and employer where the employee exchanges part of their salary for a non-cash benefit, which can lower their taxable income and result in savings on income tax and National Insurance. Common benefits include pension contributions, childcare vouchers, and company cars. Both the employee and employer can benefit, as employees may see a boost to their take-home pay, and employers can save on National Insurance contributions.