The Sun Blasts Council ‘Fat Cats’

Thanks to the VB reader who got in touch this morning pointing out that page two of The Sun has a damning article about salaries of council chief executives.

Steve BeynonThe article reveals the number of council chief executives ‘raking in six figures has soared by 13 per cent in a year’.

Ten IW council employees getting over £100,000
The Sun’s article is all based on the data compiled by the Tax Payers’ Alliance under the banner of their sixth Town Hall Rich List.

We got in touch with them this morning and they provided us will all of the data for roles at the council whose packages are over £100,000. We’ve listed them all below.

Two years ago only three staff were £100k+
It’s of note that two years ago, the TPA declared that only three council staff received salaries of over £100,000.

The TPA also provided us with eight further roles at the council that receive salaries between £92,500 and £97,500.

140+ officers paid over £50k salary
In August 2011 VentnorBlog discovered that the number of Isle of Wight council officers paid between £50,000 and £100,000 increased between 2009-10 and 2010-11. The estimated wage bill for these people was judged to be over £8.5m at that time.

Steve Beynon’s salary reduction: Great timing
In the middle of March 2010 Steve Beynon, the Isle of Wight council’s very own chief executive, ‘asked to be paid less than £150,000‘.

A month and a half later, on the 1 June 2010, the Government decided to publish the salaries of all senior civil servants who earned over £150,000, after making noises for a long time that they would be doing it.

The data compiled by Tax Payers’ Alliance

Job Title 2009-10 2010-11 Change Full details for 2010-11 and Notes
Chief Executive 183,937 184,116 0.10% Salary £149,997; Expense allowances £1,120; Pension contributions £32,999
PFI Programme Director 185,405 181,121 -2.31% Salary £148,934; Expense allowances £287; Pension contributions £31,900
Director of Children’s
& Young People’s Services
33,932 156,564 361.41% Salary £82,754; Compensation for loss of office £55,621; Pension contributions £18,189; In employment 1 January 2010 to 1 January 2011, annualised salary £110,235
Strategic Director of Resources 149,732 142,976 -4.51% Salary £117,193; Pension contributions £0. The Strategic Director of Resources is paid under the terms of a contractual arrangement which covers total employment costs including Employers’ National Insurance and Pension contributions and sickness. The contract sum was £159,250 in 2010-11 (£166,725 in 2009-10) and the equivalent costs commensurable to a direct employee are shown in the table, being costs excluding Employers’ National Insurance contributions of £142,976 (£149,732 in 2009-10). This is equivalent to a salary of £117,193 (£123,745 in 2009-10) after allowing for notional Employers’ Pension contributions.
Director of
Economy & Environment
133,384 134,487 0.83% Salary £110,235; Pension contributions £24,252
Project Director –
Schools Re-organisation
28,571 133,782 368.24% Salary £101,460; Expense allowances £10,001; Pension contributions £22,321; Started post 18 January 2010, annualised salary £101,460
Director of Corporate Services 124,392 123,937 -0.37% Salary £100,786; Expense allowances £978; Pension contributions £22,173
Acting Director of Community Services 111,714 112,486 0.69% Salary £92,202; Pension contributions £20,284
Assistant Director of Economic Development Tourism & Leisure 109,623 110,644 0.93% Salary £90,763; Expense allowances £4; Pension contributions £19,877
Strategic Director of Community Services 103,581 Salary £79,221; Expense allowances £7,000; Pension contributions £17,360; Started post 16 August 2010, annualised salary £125,982
Chief Fire Officer 107,199 97,631 -8.93% Salary £96,334; Expense allowances £1,297; Pension contributions £0. Pension contributions ceased from 1 October 2009

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