Number of £50k council staff rises by 65% in two years
ALMOST 1,000 senior officers at cash-strapped councils are being paid more than £50,000 a year.
The growing army of directors and senior managers at Staffordshire authorities has swelled from 578 to 958 over two years – a rise of 65 per cent.
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Concerned: Stoke-on-Trent City Council deputy leader Ross Irving said the increase was worrying amid the council cuts
And The Sentinel has learned that the taxpayer paid out £70 million in salaries to top officials in the county last year.
Data obtained under Freedom of Information laws shows that was up 55 per cent from the £45 million handed over in 2008.
But councils' overall payroll costs have shrunk by £5 million to £961 million over the period. And the figures come as the city council looks to purge 14 top posts to save £1.3 million.
A breakdown of the data shows that:
Staffordshire County Council, which is trying to save £120 million in three years, paid 671 senior officers a total of £50 million last year – compared with £31 million for 418 staff two years earlier;
Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which needs to cut £30 million by 2012, has 269 staff earning more than £50,000. This is up 87 per cent in two years from just 144. Their pay has also jumped from £12.9 million to £19.3 million;
The top seven officers at Newcastle Borough Council claim £483,612;
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council cut its senior posts from 13 to 11 by merging key services with High Peak Borough Council last year.
Meanwhile, across the border, Cheshire East Council employs 226 senior officers costing £18.75 million.
Unions last week attacked the "obscene" £242,842 salary and pension payments made to former Staffordshire County Council chief executive Ron Hilton.
In Stoke-on-Trent, chief executive John van de Laarschot admitted the authority was "management top-heavy".
The authority's deputy leader Ross Irving said he was "very concerned" by the surge in higher salaries.
The Conservative member, pictured left, added: "There is an employment market in local government that really sets the level of pay.
"But if the market is running away with itself at a time when we are trying to save money, then we would have to look very closely at that.
"These figures are worrying at a time when we have to save up to £30m."
Staffordshire councils are understood to pay directors between £100,000 and £120,000, while heads of department can earn more than £80,000, and managers receive between £40,000 and £55,000.
Lower down the scale, social workers earn around £30,000, customer services staff are paid about £16,000 and administrative assistants around £15,000.
Community Voice councillor Peter Kent-Baguley supports the city council plan to shed senior staff. "It isn't sustainable. We need a slimmed-down bureaucracy where more of the wages actually go to the staff who deliver the services," he said.
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by Andy, Bucknall
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 3:34PM
“"A good start would be to sack all the "Community Gay/Lesbian Multicultural Equality Project Outreach Workers" together with all the other made-up PC non-job incumbents.
Next, anyone working in the Public Sector "earning" over £50,000 a year to have their salary cut to that amount. If they protest - sack them."
Comment I made in July. Now it's not good enough..... it's time to grab some burning torches and pitchforks and descend on the Council Offices and drag them out and throw them all into the river (canal) !!!!!!!!
Only then will these "management" self-serving swine get the message !
Nurses, Paramedics and underpaid Care Staff especially welcome on the march. The "management" are going to need your assistance.”
by Paul, Trentham
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 11:20AM
“Ross Irving is concerned.
Well he wasn't very concerned when he was the Leader of the Council over this period and DID NOTHING to stop this theft of our money.”
by D STOKES, STOKE
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 9:33AM
“Hi! I'm Dan Stokes and I just want to say I love Craig Pond soooooooooo much.”
by anon, hanley
Monday, September 06 2010, 9:42PM
“D STOKES, not one comment on here expresses any surprise, so stop trying to find excuses to promote your sad mate.”
by Mick Penning, newcastle, staffs
Monday, September 06 2010, 9:07PM
“http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qyw6y
Portraying the Poor -in Print: The likes of the 'trough dippers' would do well to hark the herald ...”
by Alexcrewe, Crewe
Monday, September 06 2010, 9:02PM
“I think we should really pause here and ponder on what is really needed to help our seemingly rudder-less ''Masters' who need outside advisers to assist with doing their job they are paid to do.
I firmly believe that we need a further consultant to sort their, and their consultant's problems. This would, of course, be on the minimum wage, after all, it's only public money.
And I thought Cheshire East were rubbish !”
by ian, blurton
Monday, September 06 2010, 8:03PM
“Think Mr Irving is being too much of a gentleman over these parasites I work in the Emergency Services saving peoples lives and responding to unbelievable cases with nowhere as much as the money these useless bloodsuckers are getting, put them with us for a couple of days!! Long term sick is what they would be...Someone in this city has got to stand up in the council for us all, well for goodness sake thats what you werte voted in for, hasn`t any of you got any balls??????”
by David, Fenton
Monday, September 06 2010, 6:44PM
“Isnt this manipulation of the people for greed? And if it is, shouldnt it be a criminal offence.
Weve had GIMPs (Geezers Involved in Manipulating the People for greed) running this city and country for years, and when are we going to realise that our representatives are only concerned with representing themselves and ensuring there futures are secure.
FOOLS and JESTERS there¿ve been a few.
Paid handsomely by Kings, Earls, Dukes and Barons too.
Dancing and prancing and acting the folly.
For delighting their audience they received a lot of lolly.
They¿ve stayed for a while and the King has too.
But King Henry the eighth knew what to do.
Knock IT down and start again.
Leave the place and never return.
But Oliver Cromwell had different ideas.
A Democrat for the people who had no fears.
But to become Lord Protector wasn¿t his dream.
To ride us of GIMP¿s was the intended scheme.
Who manipulated the people to feed their needs?
And all because of their GREED.
Within OUR CITY we¿ve had some too.
So were Pinkie and perky another two.
Or am I a fool for what I did.
Claiming Adverse Possession of the OLD VIC.
For the children I did it and not for myself.
Because our future generations need ¿OUR HELP¿.
So recognise the fact or say ¿I AM¿,
A FOOL or A JESTER and I DON¿T GIVE A DAMN.
I¿m Stoke born and bred, and proud of the fact.
I'm a decedent amongst decedents within this decadent city of ours.
But what are I to do when I stand alone and my family saying;
¿LEAVE IT ALONE¿.
It¿s the future generations of mine you see.
The reasons I give a damn.
So I¿m willing to continue.
You¿ll see.
The fool says, ¿There is no God¿.
So who are you?
And what is ¿IT¿?
Apark@Stoke4LUZ
honi soit qui mal y pense”
by D STOKES, STOKE
Monday, September 06 2010, 3:46PM
“Correct me if I'm wrong but did not Craig Pond put the figures for Stoke-on-Trent City Council in the letters page 2 months ago, and on the PCF webbsite?
Quite why anybody is surprised is beyond me.”
by D STOKES, STOKE
Monday, September 06 2010, 3:45PM
“Correct me if I'm wrong but did not Craig Pond put the figures for Stoke-on-Trent City Council in the letters page 2 months ago, and on the PCF webbsite?
Quite why anybody is surprised is beyond me.”