Council considers possible pay increase for chief executive

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A council has begun the process of establishing a committee that could recommend an increase in its chief executive’s £123,679 annual salary.

Monmouthshire County Council has already agreed to establish a remuneration committee to assess the “competitiveness” and “reward structures” for its chief officers.

Any recommendations on pay would be presented to the full council for approval.

Reviewed

Chief executive Paul Matthews was appointed on an annual salary of £110,000 in May 2009 and the senior pay structure last reviewed in 2009/10 with salaries linked to the chief executive’s.

Since then the council also introduced a deputy chief executive post, which has a current salary of between £95,067 to £97,551.

The authority, which employs some 4,000 staff, has four other statutory chief officer posts in addition to the deputy chief executive, all picking up annual salaries of between £87,616 and £91,341 and a further three non-statutory chief officers who earn between £76,439 and £80,164 annually.

There are a further 15 posts on chief officers terms and conditions, in pay bands ranging from £59,052 to £73,334. All senior employees are expected to undertake duties outside their contractual hours and working patterns without additional payments.

Evidence

The review has been initiated as the council says “there is evidence that the size of fields attracted to senior officer opportunities in Monmouthshire is reducing.”

It says while the county shares many similarities to other rural Welsh authorities its location on the border means “employment markets in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and slightly further afield are more relevant” to it than other Welsh councils.

The politically balanced renumeration committee will develop a “broad” policy for senior pay and propose salaries “considered to be sufficient to attract, retain and motivate senior managers of the quality required to run the organisation successfully” and it will have to consider the affordability of its proposals.

The committee will also have to be “sensitive” regarding senior pay including the salaries paid to other staff in the council and ensure the “relationship between reward and senior management tiers and for employees below this level remain reasonable.”

It will also have to consider what similar organisations pay and how the council should position its pay levels in relation. The committee will be independently advised, by Torfaen council’s deputy monitoring officer, so senior officers aren’t involved.

Salaries for most council employees are agreed nationally but councils set their own policy for the most senior managers and Monmouthshire is also discussing its plans with trade unions.