Senior Staff Pay in Local Government in Wales
01 April 2009
A WLGA spokesperson said:
“Councils are conscious of the difficult economic circumstances that their communities are currently facing and have borne these in mind in setting what is the second lowest average council tax increase since devolution, despite the poor grant settlements received from the Assembly Government in the last two years.”
“Councils deliver vital public services, including education, social services, environmental health, highways, housing, leisure provision and refuse collection. Council chief executives and senior staff are in charge of big businesses that can have an enormous impact on people’s everyday lives.”
“Comparing senior public sector salaries against those in the private sector, taxpayers get excellent value for money given the complexity and range of services provided to every member of the public. The overall budget of Welsh local authorities is over £5bn and the total workforce is in the region of 160,000. Those earning more than £80,000 equate to just 0.12% of the workforce.”
“Councils must act responsibly in setting the pay levels of their senior staff and it is not unreasonable to find this level of senior staff salaries. An appropriate and competitive salary is vital if we are to reward people for their demanding and vital public roles, and also to attract candidates of the highest calibre to deliver continual improvement in Wales’ public services.”