ON the face of it, £4.2m is a lot of public cash to be paid out in so-called compromise agreements by Oxfordshire’s public bodies.

Also known as ‘hush money’ the payments are awarded to departing staff to ensure that, amongst other things, they go quickly and quietly.

They are common in all sectors, but when our money is involved, we have a right to be told.

It’s a pity then, that even by using the Freedom of Information Act to get at the information, we are provided with the barest details.

One organisation was quite happy to provide more details on the figures and for that they deserve credit, so take a bow Thames Valley Police.

As for the others, hiding behind the convenient cloak of ‘confidentiality’ just doesn’t cut it.