Dismissed children’s services chief was region’s top earner

A controversial head of Herefordshire’s children’s services who was ousted a year ago was the year’s highest-paid public official in the West Midlands, new figures reveal.

According to the Town Hall Rich List 2025, published this month by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, Herefordshire Council’s corporate director for children and young people was the highest-paid council employee in the region in financial year 2023/24, at £264,000.

Though not named in the document, at the time this position was held by Darryl Freeman, who was on a published salary of £139,465 for the year – just over half the figure he was actually paid.

A council spokesperson said the higher figure “comprises salary, payments for ending employment such as notice and holiday pay and pension contributions”.

“We do not comment on the detail of these as they are an individual, personal matter,” they added.

Mr Freeman joined the council in September 2021, overseeing what the council called “much needed improvements” following a negative court judgement on the department and critical evaluations by inspectors.

But the council then announced Mr Freeman’s departure “following discussions, with immediate effect” in March last year.

This coincided with the publication of a Ofsted report which found that “plans to improve services have not led to sufficient positive impact”, specifically for older children and those who have left the care of the service.

His departure was welcomed at the time by former North Herefordshire MP Sir Bill Wiggin, who said he was “hugely encouraged by the new Conservative council’s decision to remove him”.

The following month the council then appointed Tina Russell, previously chief executive of Worcestershire Children First, to head the department.

She remains in the post, on a salary of £142,952 for the financial year just ended.

Meanwhile, Mr Freeman’s LinkedIn profile shows him as working since September as Wiltshire Council’s interim corporate director for children and education.