MARK Fysh, Unison branch secretary at the county council, makes a balanced and honest case on the subject of chief executive pay. Today we detailed a report by the Taxpayers’ Alliance which highlights the salaries of people at the helm of our Town Halls.
The county council’s Joanna Simons netted £185,000 in ‘total remuneration’ in 2008/09, an increase of 5.7 per cent (£10,000) on the previous year.
As Mr Fysh says: “Imagine how these figures make a home-support worker feel on £16,000 a year.”
But it needs to be put in some perspective. Ms Simons is in charge of a wage bill which includes more than 20,000 people who run key services and many of our schools.
A brief look at pay in private sector shows the wages for council chiefs are markedly lower.
We may not like it, but local authorities must remain competitive.
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