CRUMBRIA: 24.6.2026: EXCLUSIVE
THE Chief Executive of three-year-old Crumberland Council is leaving in December, staff have been told in an email today.
Andrew Seekings set out a few personal reasons for going and said the “time was right” to retire, with an eye firmly on his own “health and wellbeing”.
He landed the Crumberland job after serving as chief executive at Allerdale Borough Council; unkindly known in some quarters as “Allerfail”.
As recently as last year, Mr Seekings said that leading a brand new unitary authority was an “amazing” opportunity because it allowed him to “rethink” how Local Government worked.
(He’s thought about it and decided to, er, leave.)
Mr Seekings received £214,000 in pay and pensions in 2024/25 and was named on this year’s “Town Hall Rich List” by the Taxpayers’ Alliance; although nowhere near the top.
His salary was circa £182,000, plus a £33,000 annual payment into his pension pot.
His departure was discussed by senior councillors behind closed doors at the Civic Centre, Carlisle, on Monday.
(It looks like the local rags have missed ANOTHER scoop staring at them from the committee papers.)
It is not known what the financial terms of his departure will be.
But in 2024/25, Crumberland Council forked out a cool £2.1m in “exit packages” across 27 staff — an average of almost £78,000 each.
The largest single package was an eye-popping £596,000.
Remember taxpayers, the Labour-daft Council is always short of money.
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