‘Eye-Watering’ Pay Rises for Council Bosses Spark Fury
Chief executives of Scotland's 32 local authorities are set to receive average pay increases of more than £19,000 following a controversial salary review endorsed by council leaders. The 12.5 per cent average rise comes at a time when frontline council staff received just 4 per cent this year and households face a stinging 9.5 per cent increase in council tax bills.
Details of the Pay Deal
The Scottish Conservatives have declared that hard-working families will be ‘appalled’ by the decision, while union bosses predict a furious backlash from workers who describe it as a ‘slap in the face’. The pay framework was signed off by local political leaders on the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) on 31st October.
The recommendations stem from an independent expert review that compared council chief executives' wages to other public officials across the UK. With the last review conducted in 2001, Cosla argued an update was necessary as the workload had ‘changed significantly in terms of increased complexity, scale, and level of risk’.
The leaked details reveal that revised salaries will range between £165,755 and £230,620, depending on the size of the council. The total cost of implementing these raises is estimated at £611,113, with individual bosses seeing increases ranging from £4,380 to £32,334 – representing a percentage increase of between 2 and 23.4 per cent.
Unequal Distribution and Political Fallout
Interestingly, the already well-paid chief executives of the largest councils are set to receive the smallest raises. The lowest award is reportedly going to Susanne Millar at Glasgow City Council.
In contrast, the heads of smaller and island authorities appear in line for the most substantial bumps. Oliver Reid at Orkney, Maggie Sandison at Shetland, Malcolm Burr at Eilean Siar, and Nikki Bridle at Clackmannanshire are each set for pay rises of around £30,000.
Tory finance spokesman Craig Hoy strongly criticised the move: ‘Scots who have been clobbered by huge hikes in their council tax bills will be appalled by the prospect of top bosses getting inflation-busting pay rises. After years of suffering savage cuts from the SNP, councils should be doing everything they can to deliver value for the taxpayer and protecting vital services. Rubber stamping these pay deals completely flies in the face of that.’
Union Backlash and Public Outcry
The decision has provoked sharp condemnation from trade unions representing local government workers. Roz Foyer, STUC General Secretary, stated: ‘Cosla’s decision to award top bosses above inflation pay rises is deeply flawed and will quite rightly create a huge backlash from workers and the public they serve. Staff and service users across the country are facing cuts to services, continued low pay and increasing cost of living pressures. It is simply rubbing salt into the wounds of ordinary workers.’
Keir Greenaway, a GMB senior organiser, echoed this sentiment, calling the rises ‘a slap in the face to our members after being repeatedly told budgets are stretched to breaking point’.
Graham McNab from Unite was even more direct, telling the Daily Record: ‘It’s disgraceful that Cosla willingly offer eye-watering pay rises to council chief executives who are already on exorbitant salaries. How can they even begin to justify paying chief executives three times higher than what they gave nursery nurses, cleaners, school assistants and refuse workers? It’s utterly hypocritical.’
A Cosla spokeswoman defended the decision, stating: ‘It was agreed that an updated pay framework will be implemented based on the independent recommendations. The new pay framework will help local government attract and retain the leadership we require to deliver for Scotland’s people and our communities, and meet the challenges we face now and into the future.’ The raises are expected to be phased in over a 12-month period.
