Defiant council bosses to ignore pay call (From The Argus)
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Defiant council bosses to ignore pay call
3:20pm Wednesday 15th February 2012 in News By James Wallin
West Sussex County Council is set to ignore Government calls for more transparency over the appointment of highly paid staff.
The council has insisted there is no need for councillors to discuss appointments of staff on more than £100,000 a year.
This is despite guidance from the Department for Communities and Local Government which says the full council is entitled to vote before large salary packages are offered.
The authority is also refusing to name officers earning high salaries in its public accounts.
The move, which will be discussed at a full council meeting on Friday, February 17 has been criticised by opposition councillors.
According to the authority’s latest statement of accounts 19 employees took home more than £100,000 in 2010/11, once pension contributions and other remuneration were taken into consideration.
The highest payment was just under £400,000 to outgoing chief executive Mark Hammond.
His replacement, Kieran Stigant, was paid a total sum of £207,000 last year.
A report on the new pay policy says the chief executive earns 6.6 times the salary of the average council employee.
The council claims there is no need for a vote on high salaries because “the current arrangements for determining pay are robust and transparent” and because it would delay appointments.
But Lib Dem councillor Bob Smytherman said: “At a time when we are counting every penny it seems ludicrous there will be no discussion on salaries at this level.
“What is the council trying to hide? It was the same when Mark Hammond was leaving – it was impossible to get any information."
The report says after discussions with unions it was recommended that the names of high ranking council officers should not be published in the accounts as the detailing of post titles and salaries was sufficient.
A council spokesman said it was not possible to comment before the meeting.
Twittern Wanderer says...
12:59pm Fri 17 Feb 12