Sir, I write in response to Clr. David Pugh's letter, in reply to mine published on October 24, regarding the 29 councillors who voted on October 16 to approve the £332k severance pay-off for the chief executive of Pembrokeshire County Council, Bryn Parry-Jones. In my opinion, the main allegation against Mr. Parry-Jones' conduct was very strong and backed up with devastating testimony. Had the golden handshake not ended the disciplinary route, I'm confident it would have resulted in a finding of gross misconduct and a sacking. This would have been almost certainly cheaper, with the benefit of justice running its course. Clr. Pugh concluded that the council: "can now move on." He must have penned his reply before the Wales Audit Office served official notice on the authority, deeming that the pay-off he helped push through the council chamber contained 'unlawful' elements. Even the auditor, Anthony Barrett, claimed his formal intervention preventing the payment was 'unprecedented' - though perhaps Clr. Pugh would borrow a phrase from his previous letter and claim Mr. Barrett did this 'for purely political reasons'. Mr. Parry-Jones subsequently accepted a cut of more than £50k to remove these unlawful amounts, which was agreed behind the scenes with no input from full council whatsoever, which I also find entirely disagreeable. It's obvious that those councillors who supported the pay-off want to 'move on', but the public aren't prepared to dismiss this episode so easily, and neither am I. What makes it worse is they claim to be representing the best interests of your readers. Jacob Williams, County Councillor for East Williamston. , New Park, Wooden.