Peter can take heart that he isn't the worst culprit in getting bad press over Council payments.
Did you see this?
The council 'fat cat’ earning £570,000 - Telegraph
This guy took £569,000 in one year, made up of £157,000 annual salary, £167,000 redundancy (to include not just his employment at that council, but also 20 years prior service with other employers), £239,000 paid into his pension fund so that he could start drawing the maximum possible pension straight away (even though he hasn't worked sufficient years to warrant it), and £6,000 in other lost expenses.
He even had the brass neck to claim that what he received was exactly the same as a road sweeper would get, albeit that the figures were higher. Really? Is he honestly trying to claim that a road sweeper being made redundant would be offered redundancy pay for the time he worked for other employers before the Council, would have his pension enhanced to the maximum possible if he'd worked till 65, and would get a few bob extra to cover lost allowances? I can tell you that he certainly would not, and the guy is telling an out and out lie. (allegedly)
Meanwhile, the Leader of that council has put his name to a letter to the Minister complaining that the cuts in grant will lead to front line services being lost!
You couldn't make it up, could you? And Peter has a long way to go before he reaches those depths.