SENIOR council staff could receive salary increases of up to 60% if proposals are pushed through on Thursday 4 August.
It is sure to irk thousands of council employees, the majority of which were handed a meagre 1% pay rise earlier this year
The largest increase will see the Head of Childcare, with a current salary of £50,442, upgraded to the Head of Children and Families at a salary of £80,800 – an increase of 60.2%.
Shockingly, this is despite a proposed £8.9m cut to children and family services, along with 51 jobs.
Elsewhere, the Head of City Centre Growth and Regeneration could receive a salary increase from £62,500 to £75,000 (a 20% increase), the Head of Strategic Communications from £55,000 to £65,000 (18%), and the Head of Executive Office from £60,000 to £67,766 (12%).
Even senior council staff earning over £100k are in line for significant salary increases.
The Deputy Chief Executive (Growth & Neighbourhoods) could see pay jump from £111,100 to £125,000 (12.5%), the City Solicitor from £113,120 to £125k (10.5%) and the Strategic Director of Education & Skills from £116,152 to £125,000 (7.6%); whilst the Strategic Directors of Adult Services and Development, who each earn £121,200, will see pay bumped up to £125k.
Plans to be approved by the council today also seek to establish three extra senior management roles, each earning £80,800.
The news is sure to prompt a backlash from taxpayers, who have endured numerous cuts to public services (following a £54.5m shortfall forced upon the council by Westminster) and a proposed 4% increase in council tax.
It is also sure to irk thousands of council employees, the majority of whom were handed a meagre 1% pay rise earlier this year.
The Great Hall, Manchester Town HallThe council report claims the well-above-inflationary pay rises rightly reflect the increased ‘volume’, ‘responsibility’ and ‘complexity’ of the work required to ‘support additional city centre development’.
It is not a sentiment shared by John Leech, Didsbury West Councillor and the city’s sole opposition member:
“These increases are frankly disgusting. Other staff and local residents will be understandably shocked and frustrated that senior figures at the council are seeing their pay increase by up to 60% at a time when the council claims to have no money.
"We are frequently told that the council can't repair roads, empty bins more often or improve public services due to a lack of money, and yet here they are handing out increases totalling tens of thousands per year.”
Councillor John Flanagan, Executive Member for Finance, however, argues the salary increases are necessary to attract the highest calibre of staff.
“The council's senior officers are responsible for multi-million-pound budgets and decisions which affect the lives of people who live and work in Manchester. They are also charged with developing the strategies which will shape the future direction of the city.
“As such, it is essential that we can keep and attract the right quality of senior staff by having salaries which reflect the levels of responsibility they have and are in line with those available in comparable cities.”
Cllr Flanagan also points out that the highest percentage increases “are not pay rises in the sense they are being depicted”, rather “re-gradings of jobs to reflect fundamental changes in the individuals’ responsibilities and workloads.”
Flanagan also states the increases will be funded from "within existing budgets."
Cllr John Leech: "These increases are frankly disgusting"Cllr Leech isn’t swallowing it. “The council is now clutching at straws because they realise they’ve been caught dishing out indefensible pay rises.
"They can pinpoint individual posts and try to justify them, but there are other posts that are simply baseless, receiving large pay rises with absolutely no justification.”
The hefty salary increases come at a time when the council have just rubber stamped plans to spend £330 million on an upgrade of their offices in Manchester Town Hall.
Timing is everything.
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