The bill for exiting staff across the country has risen from £198,567,000 in 23/24 to £318,920,000 in 24/25. Thurrock Council, whose debts hit £1 billion in the wake of a spate of disastrous investments in solar energy companies, has sought to slash as many staff as possible to become leaner and more cost efficient. A spokesperson for Thurrock Council said: “Like all local authorities, Thurrock has had to make significant savings which has unfortunately resulted in redundancies. "Under the Local Government Pension Scheme, older employees may be entitled to early release of their pension entitlements, the Council is required by the regulations governing the Pension Scheme to contribute to the Pension Fund to meet pension strain costs. An exit package can cover basic entitlements, statutory redundancy pay, additional compensation, and benefits such as training costs.