THE chief executive of Poole council will receive around £75,000 when he is made redundant at the end of March - substantially less than the £472,000 being paid out to his equivalent at Bournemouth council when she leaves her post.

Andrew Flockhart, who has worked in the council for more than 20 years, will depart the day before the new Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council comes into being on April 1. Graham Farrant will take on the role of chief executive of the new authority.

Last month it was announced Bournemouth council’s managing director, Jane Portman, will be given a redundancy package of around £472,000, including a £355,000 pension contribution.

Ms Portman spent 10 years of her 33-year public service career as executive director of the council before being recruited to the new managing director position in 2017.

In comparison, Mr Flockhart, who has spent 27 years in the public sector, including five as chief executive, will receive a total payment of £75,335, which includes a pension contribution of around £7,700.

In a report to the council, which meets on Tuesday, it is explained that calculations “are based upon the contractual entitlement and take into account the length of continuous service at senior level within the public sector”.

The council will give its approval to the redundancy payment at the meeting.

Mr Flockhart joined the council in 1996 as a member of the new senior management team, which created the new unitary council in 1997. Mr Flockhart went on to lead work on town centre regeneration, the construction of the Twin Sails Bridge, changing the Age of Transfer for schools, investing in the expansion and improvement of Poole schools, the development of new housing and the improvement of customer services. Most recently he has also been one of the key people driving plans for the reorganisation of local government in Dorset.

Mr Flockhart said he had put his “heart and soul into Poole”.

“Poole is a unique and beautiful place. The Borough of Poole is unique too. It is driven by a purpose and values that run through services, staff and councillors like words in a stick of rock. It has a wonderful combination of capabilities, which have enabled it to manage an extraordinary period of change,” he said.

“I am proud of the way that councillors and officers work together in a dynamic and progressive way to deliver services, plan for the future and attract unprecedented levels of investment to Poole.”

He added: “Supporting the council to make big decisions, building relationships with partners in all sectors and leading our amazing staff has been a real privilege. All of our work together will help secure a better future for Poole and ensure that its unique qualities can be enjoyed by future generations.”

The shadow authority allocated £1.5 million to cover the costs of early redundancies as part of the local government reorganisation process.

Council leader Janet Walton said: “Andrew is the epitome of a first-class public servant. He has unfailingly put the needs and interests of Poole and its residents first. He has constantly advocated the interests of Poole, our residents and our council at local and national levels.”

She added: “I feel extremely privileged to have led a council with the support of Andrew in the role of chief executive. I know that his efforts will ensure that Borough of Poole hands over the reins to BCP Council in a smooth, orderly way with seamless service provision for our residents. I would like to wish Andrew a long and happy retirement.”