Hidden details of a huge hush-hush pay-off to Teignbridge Council’s former chief executive have finally been revealed, a year after a public outcry over the substantial hand-out.

High-earning Nicola Bulbeck walked away from her top job in Newton Abbot after 11 years with a staggering £264,000 ‘exit package.’

The district authority, which proclaims its openness and transparency, tried to keep the departing boss’ generous gift under wraps since she left her post last June.

Now the sums involved in Ms Bulbeck’s golden handshake have finally come to light in the council’s recently released annual statement of accounts.

It has been officially confirmed the former barrister was awarded more than £173,000 as ‘compensation for loss of employment’ – with her overall package working out at £264,000... all straight out of the public purse.

Several district councillors have claimed that Ms Bulbeck also kept her ‘expensive, upper-range’ company car as part of the leaving package.

Outraged members, who had been under strict instructions last year not to disclose the deal arrangements, have also revealed she was allowed to stay on until the day after last year’s General Election so she could earn a further £30,000 for being the Returning Officer.

When asked about Ms Bulbeck keeping the car, all an authority spokesman would say this week was: ‘The council has nothing to add.’

Figures released last week also showed Ms Bulbeck earned a whopping £28,000 in just two months from the beginning of the financial year in April until she left her job on June 9.

The chief executive attracted much criticism during her time with the authority for accepting a 12 per cent pay rise which saw her earn more than Theresa May.

The increase saw her pay packet inflate from £126,000 to nearly £142,000.

Deputy Lib Dem leader Alistair Dewhirst thundered: ‘Obviously I am appalled by this huge sum of money and wonder how anyone can be worth that much – even more than the Prime Minister.

‘For my constituents a sum of money like that would be like winning the National Lottery.’

He added: ‘It seems to me to be yet another indication of how this Conservative-led administration, which appears to know the cost of everything and the value of nothing, has lost touch with the basic values of the people of Teignbridge.’

The Ipplepen councillor said he wished some of his colleagues on the council would be more transparent in the future.

Several unsuccessful attempts to unearth the figures involved in Ms Bulbeck’s leaving gift were made by the Mid-Devon Advertiser last year, to both the council and the Information Commissioners’ Office.

Officers at Teignbridge refused to reveal details of the pay-off, insisting they weren’t in the public interest – even though the cash came from taxpayers’ money.

Teignbridge Council leader Jeremy Christophers proffered a robust defence of the authority’s handling of the issue.

He insisted: ‘We have followed strict council policy and abided by the legal advice given in dealing with this matter.’

Cllr Christophers argued: ‘The Conservative administration has improved and maintained services while reducing more than £700,000 per annum from the senior management structure.

‘This equates to a saving of eight to nine per cent for each council tax payer in Teignbridge. I believe that is a very popular result for the people of Teignbridge. Far from losing touch, I believe residents are very thankful for the professional way we run the council.’

He explained: ‘The pay and redundancy policies were adopted during the Lib-Dem administration. They cannot cherry-pick the amount of money involved. The policy can only churn out the figures which go into the sausage-machine in the first place.

‘All our redundancies have to pay for themselves within three years to be policy-compliant, and the situation with the former chief executive meets that criteria.’

And he stressed: ‘We are now in a position with a new managing director to move forwards with confidence under a fresh and lean management structure costing over £700,000 per year less than under the profligate Lib-Dems.’

Lib Dem leader Gordon Hook complained: ‘The leaving packages for some senior officers at local authorities are nothing short of obscene in the eyes of many.

‘I can certainly identify with that sentiment.

‘Some of my constituents won’t see that much cash in 15 years or more!’

He added: ‘My view is that the general public, who provide the money, have every right to know how their council tax is spent.

‘I am very keen to make Teignbridge a much more open and transparent authority.’

Since leaving her job as Teignbridge’s top dog, Ms Bulbeck has taken up a new role as an executive director at West Sussex County Council.