As thousands of public sector workers prepare to strike over job losses, pay freezes and pension cuts, a former North-East police authority chief executive walks away with £361,950.

THOUSANDS of North-East public sector workers will go on strike over job losses, pay freezes and pension cutbacks next week.

Yet the former chief executive of Cleveland Police Authority has walked away with an astonishing £361,950 redundancy package.

Anger was mounting last night after the financial package agreed with Joe McCarthy, left, was revealed a week to the day before a public sector strike is going to see the closure of hundreds of schools, colleges and universities.

Meanwhile, the chief executive of Network Rail left the company last year with a package worth £1.6m, it has been revealed.

Further evidence of the community impact of public sector cuts came last night as hopes faded for the future of many of the leisure centres operated by Durham County Council.