by political editor Paul Francis

Kent County Council will face calls today to carry out an urgent review into payouts to senior staff in the wake of widespread publicity about a six-figure severance deal with a former director.

The call will come from opposition Liberal Democrats at a county council meeting.

During a debate called by the party, the Lib Dems will press the council to conduct an urgent review of how it interviews and appoints staff and its arrangements for negotiating exit packages. The party says steps must be taken to "minimize the risks" of the authority making future payouts.

It follows anger triggered by the recent disclosure that the county council had paid its former highways and environment director Adam Wilkinson £365,000 after he quit his job in 2008 after barely a year in post.

The six-figure sum consisted of his salary and a termination agreement and was widely criticised. Mr Wilkinson quit, citing family reasons and saying he was finding it hard to commute from his home in Yorkshire. He is now chief executive of Derby City Council.

County councillors will be urged to support a Lib Dem call that KCC responds to the "widespread public concern and anger" generated by the publicity and asks for new managing director Katherine Kerswell to initiate an urgent review of severance payment procedures.

KCC leader Cllr Paul Carter (Con) recently blamed employment law for forcing councils into situations where they were compelled to agree to large payouts.

At the time of the disclosure, Mr Wilkinson said: "Contractually, Kent had a responsibility to make me a payment.

"What I was entitled to on departure was a proportion of my salary and bonus and that's what I was paid."