Highland Council education chief is a no-show at committee meeting
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Highland Council’s controversial education chief failed to appear at yesterday’s education committee meeting amid ongoing acrimony over his £936-a-day wage.
The local authority revealed last week that Paul Senior was due to leave his post this month despite signing up to a 12-month contract. It comes after he was appointed at the end of May.
The council claimed that he would depart after he had overseen the return of pupils to schools following the lockdown. Yesterday's meeting was due to consider a report by Mr Senior about that topic.
Instead, chief executive Donna Manson took his place along with other education officials and led councillors through some of the obstacles to getting children back in classrooms.
The council plans to start bringing children into schools from Wednesday and to have all children in the Highlands back to classrooms by August 18.
His absence is likely to provoke even more questions as councillors remain furious at his wages, while accusing the council of secrecy in its appointment of him during the lockdown.
Last week he was lambasted for not attending an Inverness city committee meeting despite being expected to be there.
A council spokeswoman said: “The presence of an officer or otherwise at committee is not a matter we would comment on.”
