Quango ends contract with ex-deputy after DfE warns of breach of rules

The Children’s Commissioner for England has cancelled a consultancy contract with a former deputy commissioner after the Department for Education said it fell outside Government rules.

The Times reported that Sue Berelowitz was due to be paid £960 a day for up to nine days a month until November, leading an inquiry into child sexual abuse in the family context.

Berelowitz had accepted voluntary redundancy at the end of April.

In a statement the Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, said: "I have been advised by the Department for Education that they now judge our contract with Sue Berelowitz….to fall outside Government rules and have therefore cancelled it. We are considering how the inquiry will continue with its important work, which we are all firmly committed to.

"I deleted Sue's post to flatten the organisation's management structure following a review of its governance. Deleting the post and its associated administrative support saved the organisation £175,000 per year.”

Longfield added that Berelowitz had been offered voluntary severance when her post faced deletion.

“The vast majority of her responsibilities transferred and I agreed a contract with her for a limited number of days to complete [the inquiry]…..as we both very much wanted this important work to continue,” the Commissioner said.

“Sue entered into the contract in good faith and she and I remain committed to the Inquiry. Sue and I understood the contract to meet Government rules and in agreement with Sue, I took immediate action to cancel it when it was judged not to be so."