Halesowen News
Council bosses say pay statement aims to show "transparency"
6:00pm Tuesday 21st February 2012
COUNCIL bosses say a move to publish information detailing the salaries of its top managers will show “transparency is always at the heart of what we do”.
Dudley Council’s first ever Pay Policy Statement, which lists how much the top earners get paid, will go before a meeting of the full council on Monday February 27.
The report shows the council spends around £1.8million on remunerating its departmental bosses and their assistants.
Chief executive John Polychronakis commands a whopping £157,000 per annum, while the directors of corporate resources, children’s services, urban environment and adult, community and housing services each earn £104,604 with the council’s treasurer and assistant director of corporate resources coining in a minimum of £78,547 each.
Sixteen other assistant directors also command annual salaries of £70,049 each, the report shows.
The council will be asked to approve the content of the statement at Monday’s full council meeting, and the annual publication of the statement for future years as the Pay Policy Statement is a requirement of the government’s Localism Act 2011 and aims to provide transparency in relation to the council’s approach to setting the pay of employees.
Dudley Council has in recent years already taken steps to by publish salary information through its annual accounts and on its website to ensure information is available to the public. But the Pay Policy Statement makes it a formal requirement of the council each year.
Councillor Tim Wright, Dudley’s cabinet member for human resources, law and governance, said: “We are committed to ensuring transparency is always at the heart of what we do and we welcome the publication of the Pay Policy Statement. “This annual statement will allow the taxpayer to see the full processes and procedures behind the authority’s pay structure and recruitment processes.”
The annual statement will also detail information around the council’s pay structure, its recruitment processes of senior staff as well as details of salary received by lowest paid members of staff.
Council leader - councillor Les Jones - defended the huge salaries paid to the council’s top directors, saying: “These officers are responsible for £750m of taxpayer’s money - spent every year.
“I want the best people; you’re not going to get the best people unless you pay a decent salary. I do think it’s right to pay people what they’re worth.”