Council management on the Gravy Train



This week The Champion's Stop The Gravy Train campaign looks at the pay of local authorities' management.

A new study by the Taxpayers Alliance - a pressure group that campaigns for a 'low tax society' - reveals the average local authority is employing more than nine times as many people on £50,000-plus packages as 10 years ago - 66 people in 2006-07 compared with 20 people in 2001-02 and 7 people in 1996-97.

Nationwide, they say these wages count for £1 out of every £11 of council tax.

Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "With council tax doubling in the past decade, it's extremely disappointing that town halls have chosen to hire a new class of middle managers, many of whom are being paid more than MPs. Local authorities should study these findings carefully to see where savings can be made, instead of using their half billion pound PR machine to obscure their finances from taxpayers."

The figures in the report are from councils' annual accounts, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

It reveals that in 2006-07 Sefton Council employed 65 staff on packages of £50,000 and above - one less than the national average - at a total cost of £4,375,000.  Figures from previous years were not available to make a comparison.

This cost worked out at £15.77 per head of the Sefton population.

Sefton Council refused to comment on the study.

For West Lancashire District Council the number of staff on wages of £50,000 and above has risen, from six in 1996-97 to 10 in 2001-02, dropping to nine for 2006-07.

This totaled £655,000 for the last financial year, working out at £5.97 per head of the West Lancs population.

A spokesman for West Lancs District Council said: "The Council is not only prides itself on being recognised as excellent but it also prides itself on being efficient and giving value for money to the taxpayer as a top priority.

"Over the last few years the Chief Executive Bill Taylor has significantly reduced management numbers, first by sweeping away an entire tier of directors and then by moving to a flat divisional management structure.

"Gradually, over time as some of these managers have left to retire or move on to employment elsewhere, we have striven, wherever possible not to fill the posts and have asked the remaining managers to take on ever greater workloads.

"The Audit Commission rates West Lancashire District Council's performance and value for money extremely highly.

"The total number of managers who earn £50,000 and above at West Lancashire is 12 and this compares favourably with organisations of a similar size.

"Unlike the private sector, the salaries of the chief executive and all the executive managers for West Lancashire are already on public record and are freely available."

By Natasha Robson



 



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