JOANNA SIMONS has agreed a deal worth more than a quarter-of-a-million pounds to quit as Oxfordshire County Council’s chief executive.

Ms Simons, who has held the local authority role for 10 years, will leave in September and waive her contractual right to access a £422,796 pension payment early.

The new deal was struck after the Conservative-controlled county council originally tried in February to make her redundant. It had to back down after the Labour group threatened a judicial review of the decision.

If she had been made redundant she would have received a package of almost £600,000.

Now council leaders have insisted the new deal – the result of months of cross-party negotiations – would save taxpayers money.

Ms Simons is not being made redundant, but last night county council leader Ian Hudspeth admitted the authority’s planned £259,000 payment to her was due to the u-turn on her notice of dismissal.

He said: “The reason Joanna will receive a payment is the toing and froing with various decisions the council made. It is recognition that it had an impact on her, and her career as well.

“We have now reached an amicable agreement. It would not have been cheaper to make her redundant, so it is a good deal for the taxpayer.”

Ms Simons has waived her right to access her pension early because of the financial pressures the council faces, Mr Hudspeth added.

Her decision to step down clears the way for a restructuring of senior management, but the council leader stressed that no decisions would be made until a review had been carried out.

Until new proposals are agreed, Mr Hudspeth said the chief executive’s responsibilities would be shared among other senior figures at the council.

Labour group leader Liz Brighouse backed the deal, but added: “Joanna had already been given her notice of dismissal and that then had to be brought back which was not very pleasant for her.

“It has been one big mess and and she has been in the middle of it all.”

Ms Simons faced calls to resign from child safety campaigners after the publication of the Bullfinch serious case review in March.

The review came after seven men were jailed for a total of 95 years in June 2013 for grooming and prostituting young girls in Oxford between 2005 and 2011.

Enough Abuse UK founder Marilyn Hawes said following the review the county council’s failure to protect the girls, who were known to social services, made Ms Simons’ position “untenable”.