The confidential email, much of which the Newcastle Herald cannot publish due to legal reasons, contains serious allegations against some of the departed managers without naming them.

Mr Bath refers in the letter to recent reports in the Herald about staff exits and says he has “to date refused to take the opportunity to relay to media, staff or councillors the improper behaviour that a number of the departing managers have displayed”.

He goes on to describe a serious incident involving one manager and more general claims about others. 

Mr Bath, who announced a staff restructure in March, says in the email that the council has “suffered for many years at the hands” of some managers.

“These people are now exiting our organisation. I make no apologies for my determination to build a leadership team that emphasis [sic] leading through example,” he writes.

The email was leaked to the Herald not long after it was sent late last week.

The Herald has been told that most of the senior staff who have left the council this year have resigned.

Mr Bath says in the letter that he will tell councillors when the organisation has “lost a good one, and when our organisation is better off for their departure”.

He singles out one departed staff member, city revitalisation coordinator Tim Askew, for praise, saying he “had the respect of his team and broader employees”.

“I have told Tim directly that I hope one day to recruit him back to Council. I cannot say that about anyone else.”

Mr Askew, who resigned to join the Hunter Joint Organisation of Councils, was one of three council staff who liaised with the Newcastle Now business group.

​Mr Bath refers in the letter to a staff survey he commissioned last year which showed “to put it bluntly, staff had little to no respect for our managers”.

He says the survey of 700 employees revealed “only communication (20%) ranked below ... leadership (23%) in terms of positive sentiment”.

“How successful we have been in rebuilding confidence in our managers I will not know until we survey staff again next year.

“What I can tell you is that we are building a team of managers who are different to that of any previous leadership team at Council.

“We are united, we are corporate focused … and most importantly, we treat our staff with respect at all times.”

He signs off by telling the councillors the email is confidential.

“Trust is critical to all my working relationships, with staff and councillors alike,” he writes.

Mr Bath said on Wednesday that, under the Local Government Act, “councillors must be consulted about terminations of senior staff”.

“It’s important councillors are aware if they have a question about a staff termination or resignation, that they can call me to discuss it.

“Some councillors call me, some call the Herald. Frankly I’d prefer they call me before they go to the Herald so as to ensure they are speaking with all the facts.”