A TOWN hall chief walked away with a 'golden handshake’ payout worth more than £60,000, The Observer can reveal.

Julie Evans, former strategic director of resources, housing and regeneration and the council’s head of finances, resigned from her £126,767 post in September 2012.

Slough Borough Council originally noted her compensation for loss of office payment, also known as a golden handshake, as £15,002 in its draft accounts last year.

However, The Observer can reveal the payment was actually £60,043. The figure was amended in the council’s final audited accounts which were published months later.

The extra cash was moved over from a column headed 'salary, fees or allowances’. This was attributed as £101,863 in the draft accounts and £58,365 in the audited accounts. A pension contribution of £6,658 remained the same in both.

An extra £1,543 was also added to the audited accounts.

A council spokeswoman said: “Things often change between the draft accounts and the final accounts. That is why the draft accounts are called draft.” Tory Cllr Wayne Strutton, former deputy leader of the opposition, said: “This is appalling. Why do senior staff at Slough Borough Council keep getting these pay-offs?” Opposition councillors hit out at the secrecy of Ms Evans’ departure, at the time, saying they had been 'left in the dark’ as to why she left. She had been on long-term absence for four months prior to her departure.

The council said the reason was confidential and 'backbench councillors did not need to know’.