Bobby Storey funeral: Belfast City Council stonewalls on claim both CEO and top manager are absent

Belfast City Council has refused to confirm whether its chief executive and one of its other top bosses are currently absent, amid claims that both are off on sickness grounds.
By Adam Kula
Published 24th Jul 2020, 07:00 BST
Updated 24th Jul 2020, 10:14 BST
Belfast City Council CEO Suzanne WylieBelfast City Council CEO Suzanne Wylie
Belfast City Council CEO Suzanne Wylie

Multiple sources have told the News Letter that CEO Suzanne Wylie, along with senior manager Nigel Grimshaw, both went off at about the same time earlier this month following the furore around the council’s handling of the funeral for IRA boss Bobby Storey.

Mr Storey’s mourners were permitted to have a service at council-run Roselawn crematorium on June 30 – a right which was denied to any other grieving families that day.

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Ms Wylie has been CEO for six years and her salary is £137,971, the council said.

Nigel Grimshaw, shortly before quitting as a police commander and joining the councilNigel Grimshaw, shortly before quitting as a police commander and joining the council
Nigel Grimshaw, shortly before quitting as a police commander and joining the council

Mr Grimshaw, a former PSNI commander, joined as director of city & neighbourhood services in 2016. His salary is £108,204.

One council source has told the News Letter that they can remain absent on full pay for up to six months, then half-pay for another six months.

The News Letter put it to the council press office this week that numerous people have said Ms Wylie and Mr Grimshaw remain off sick after the Roselawn controversy.

It was also asked:

The vast, sprawling Roselawn crematorium / graveyard complex in south-east Belfast, seen with the city in the distance. Image: Google MapsThe vast, sprawling Roselawn crematorium / graveyard complex in south-east Belfast, seen with the city in the distance. Image: Google Maps
The vast, sprawling Roselawn crematorium / graveyard complex in south-east Belfast, seen with the city in the distance. Image: Google Maps

• When they went off sick;

• If they are on full pay;

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• Whether they will try to make themselves available to answer questions as part of the independent inquiry into the Roselawn controversy, even if they are absent;

• And who is running the council in Ms Wylie’s absence.

The council simply replied: “Due to an ongoing process, we are unable to comment.”

The News Letter asked the press office if it was really the case that ratepayers are unable to know who is in charge of the Province’s capital city.

It responded by saying: “Line remains same.”

Nevertheless, the News Letter has been told by a source that Ronan Cregan, director of finance, has stepped into Ms Wylie’s role.

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On July 8, despite having access to a publicly funded council PR team, Ms Wylie and Mr Grimshaw issued a statement via Belfast-based PR firm Brown O’Connor.

It apologised for the events at Roselawn and said “we pride ourselves in maintaining the integrity of the council” and “do our best to serve this city”.

It concluded: “We are concerned about certain statements and comments that have been made, and the impact these may have on our roles in Belfast City Council.

“Due to an ongoing process, we will not be commenting further.”

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Brown O’Connor was also asked many of the same questions as the council press office. But no-one answered the phone, responded to voicemails, or replied to emails.

One source told the News Letter the absences of the two top officers are “enormously disruptive [and] destabilising to the full running of the council at a time when there are enormous demands on the council in response to helping the city return to normal” after the Covid lockdown.

When it comes to the salaries of both bosses, the council said Ms Wylie’s was set independently, reflects the fact the council is the biggest in NI, and is “benchmarked against other comparable posts in the public sector”.

Mr Grimshaw’s salary was set “after an independent evaluation” and reflects “the scale” of his responsibilities.

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