Anger as chief exec John van de Laarschot lands £5k Stoke-on-Trent City Council pay rise
CITY council chief executive John van de Laarschot is to pocket a £5,400 increase in his basic salary – despite the national public-sector pay freeze.
His salary will rise from £189,600 to £195,000 from April, due to an incremental increase allowed under the terms of his contract.
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SALARY INCREASE: John van de Laarschot lands £5k pay rise.
It means Mr van de Laarschot, below, has now reached the top of his pay bracket – after starting on £179,000 when he was hired in January 2010.
Details of Mr van de Laarschot's new pay packet are set to be approved at a council meeting tonight. It comes as councillors are set to approve £21 million of cuts to council services for 2013/14 at the same meeting.
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A protest over the authority's controversial decision to move its civic centre from Stoke to Hanley is also planned ahead of the 5.30pm meeting.
But Councillor Martin Garner, chairman of the council's human resources committee, today defended the chief executive's incremental pay increase, saying most employees benefited from the same system.
He said: "The chief executive has not received a pay increase since January 4, 2010, and is on the same pay scale as he was when he commenced employment. He was originally appointed at the bottom rung of the pay scale and has been slowly working his way up the scale increment like most other employees.
"In context 17,432 increments have been paid to employees in the same timescale, but the important difference being that the chief executive has to undertake a performance appraisal with the leader of the council and the human resources committee to assess his performance and set targets for the forthcoming 12 months before he can receive an increment, whereas most employees receive theirs automatically."
Incremental increases within an employee's pay scale are not affected by the Government's public-sector pay freeze.
But March on Stoke member Antony Bradshaw, who is protesting against the council's £55 million move to Hanley's Central Business District, does not believe Mr van de Laarschot should be receiving an increase in his pay.
The 49-year-old, from Penkhull, said: "It's just laughable to hear about this, when so many of the council's services are having to be cut back.
"Most people have not seen their pay increase for years so it just beggars belief that the council's chief executive should keep getting his."
Councillor Dave Conway, leader of the opposition City Independents group, believes senior officers should be taking a pay cut. He said: "My concern is why incremental pay increases were written into his contract in the first place when we were already in recession when he started three years ago.
"The council should have taken into account where we were at the time."
The chief executives of Staffordshire County Council and Newcastle Borough Council will see their basic salaries – £195,000 and £99,736 respectively – stay the same from April.
Moorlands District Council has reduced its chief executive's pay by six per cent from its 2010 level to £157,775.
Cheshire East Council is advertising for a permanent chief executive.
73 Comments
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by WizardofZen
Sunday, March 17 2013, 9:32PM
“How on earth is Mr. Van der Larceny going to afford his retirement home in rural Devon? He will struggle to afford the large, 6 bedroom detached house with double garage he obviously deserves!!! After all his hard work in local corruption....sorry...I mean local government, he needs a stress-free retirement with a lovely view of the sea. A swimming pool and a hot tub and a sauna would be nice too. I hope the garage will be big enough for his Bentley and his wife's Mercedes.
I nearly forgot the kids tuition fees for Eton & Oxford. What's a local exec to do?
God bless the Public Gravy Boat......er...sorry...I mean Public Milchcows......no....sorry..the Public Sector. Goodness.”
by focusboy
Tuesday, March 05 2013, 12:27PM
“£195k a year, and yet he still needs an assistant to help him do his job!”
by stokepotter
Friday, March 01 2013, 9:17PM
“So now he has reached the top of his payscale. That is no problem. He, like many others in the Council will get a change of job title which will have a different higher pay scale so he can get be put on middle to lower point in it and then he will be able to get well over £200k at the next pay review.”
by smithy1980
Friday, March 01 2013, 1:31PM
“Why are Civil Servants getting more than £100000 a year? and why are they getting more than the PM? This is part of the ridiculous Labour Gravy train put in place by the last incompetent Labour government.
Labours argument is that we need to encourage the best managers to work in the public sector by giving the best wages. In reality Managers in the Public Sector are incompetents and failed in the real world at their chosen career path - breweries and ale springs to mind!
What has De LAR LAR actually done?
Request for performance targets under Freedom of Information? This city is failing, he should have a PAY CUT!”
by gormhenghast
Friday, March 01 2013, 12:29PM
“Awww Come on, if he was any good they would have give him £10k, you get monkeys for peanuts, and with red flags you get Councillors in Stoke. Honest.”
by Notanumber
Friday, March 01 2013, 11:57AM
“Our very first poster Ian533 at the bottom asks .... 'If he hasn't had a pay rise since 2010 how did his pay manage to get to £189,600'.
Quite easily answered considering S-o-T councils accountancy skills?”
by pj123
Friday, March 01 2013, 10:18AM
“Never mind this corrupt council still has its supporters posting on here.
Look out for that third rate scribbler Tony Walley (Flello's little backside wiper) posting in disguise.”
by Backdoored
Friday, March 01 2013, 12:16AM
“Overheard in Civic Office 'pristine prestige bog'....
Larschott: "Mohammed, don't look so down in the mouth.... Don't let this rabble 'at the gate' wear you down so -The thing to do is 'revel in it'.... face up, stand your ground".
Pervez: "It's all very well for you to say that John, but you'll be going back to Devon sooner or later; I'm stuck round here -up in Cobridge... my roots are here now -my kids at school here. I know I was born in Pakistan, but I'm almost a 'Stokie' now..... My heart's almost here now".
Larschott: Listen mate, and listen good -take a page out of my book and get out of Cobridge -Get out of this god forsaken dump -this 'excuse for a city' -and get yourself down to Stone like I did. They'll squeal for a bit -but their bark is bigger than their bite.
And one other thing to remember Mo... -re what you call 'Stokies' -and keep this under your hat.... As long as PULIS KEEPS PACKING 'EM IN OVER AT THE BRIT -that means two things... one it shows there's a substantial number of your so called 'Stokies' who can afford to go down there ever home game -What is it... about 27,000... and it's not cheap by Stokie Standards, that'll keep the rest of 'em who follow their 'beloved football club' -on Radio Stoke -and on the 'pub tellies' subdued -with no fight in 'em.
You see Mo, in a way, Pulis and Stoke is our 'trump card'.... why? Easy... in a word ... the real local hero who stitches it altogether -Coates and 'Bet 365' ... put that scenario into perspective and that's the SAFETY VALVE.... that's our passport to security with a good pile in the Bank when it's all over and forgotte.
Now stop looking so glum -Yes Yes, I know that's your normal demeanour Mo, but to be honest with you -Your face is beginning to get me down now as well. 'Hang-dog' Pervez -they'll be calling you. or Mr Glum -without a chum' -the way things are going -that won't be too wide of the mark...
I'm off back to Stone -got to leave early this afternoon -See you tomorrow Mo -and Buck up. Keep your eye on the Premiership Table..... that's the gauge ... mark my words.. I didn't get a reputation for being shrewd for nothing". And pray to allah -that they're still in the top flight in 2015 -.... coincidentally -last game of the season comes about at roughly the same week as the
Local Elections normally....."
Pervez: "DO YOU THINK I'LL LAST THAT LONG?"”
by Backdoored
Thursday, February 28 2013, 11:33PM
“It's just a question of him wanting desperately to "keep up with the Jones's"..... the BANKERS, the CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF BRITISH GAS ... and the like.
He only gets around a measly £200,000... THEY GET AROUND £10 MILLION -and I'm not making this up. So spare a thought for the poor chap, and 'poor' is the operative word here -because by their standards HE'S A NON-RUNNER.
But before you shed a tear.... IT''S BY OUR STANDARDS HE MUST BE MEASURED. If he's 'keeping up with the Jones's' -who are we keeping up with?
To put it into perspective.... personally, I'm not only UNABLE to keep up with Pervez (and here I'm only talking about what he gets in 'expenses' -£800 quid a week -NOT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION HIS DAY JOB).... but HE'S OUTTA SIGHT......
The 'Jones's; the Smiths; the Larschotts; the Pervez's; what they all remind us of -is not only the EVER WIDENING POVERTY GAP... but that this lot, while PICKING UP 'FAT CAT' MONEY -have thrown thousands on the dole.
Pervez has two lucrative jobs -and many many thousands have no job. It's called 'fair play' ...?? Well, Pervez would claim it is anyway. "UNLUCKY FOR SOME".”
by MrOwen77
Thursday, February 28 2013, 10:25PM
“& yet the council says it has no spare cash ??”