Council changes has created more senior officers paid more than £100,000 each it has been claimed

Reorganising councils in Cumbria has created more senior officers who are paid more than £100,000 each, rather than save money, it has been claimed.

Members of Cumberland Council’s staffing committee on Monday (January 13) agree an updated Senior Leader Pay Policy.

In April 2023 the seven former councils – Carlisle, Allerdale, Copeland, Barrow, Eden, South Lakeland and Cumbria County Council – were replaced with the two unitary authorities, Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness, with the aim of saving money.

During Monday’s debate councillor Ellis said that, according to the report, there were a total of 27 members of staff who were paid salaries above £100,000 at Cumberland and it would be a similar situation at Westmorland & Furness.

He said there were only two on that level of salary at the former Carlisle City Council and added: “There’s an awful lot of people on more than £100,000 than we had.”

Councillor Williamson portfolio holder for children’s services, family wellbeing and housing, said there were 10 members of staff on similar salaries at the former county council and there were six at Copeland.

The Council’s chief executive, said he did not know how many there were before the local government reorganisation (LGR) and staff had received large inflationary pay rises which had placed them on salaries above £100,000.

He said that, at the time, the salaries were considered to be correct as they would attract the right people for the job, particularly in children’s services, and that had proved beneficial because of the recent Good rating from Ofsted.

The Council chief executive said that so far LGR had delivered £65 million in savings and, in the place team, the number of assistant directors had been reduced from four to three.

Councillor Thurlow asked when staff were appraised had any been assessed to be underperforming? The chief executive said that during the appraisal process everyone had passed.

Councillor Chris Southward, the digital connectivity and customer focus portfolio holder, said that, if everyone had passed, then it could be considered a “light touch” to which the chief executive responded that if the assumption was that it was considered to not be robust: “I refute that.”

Like Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council has seen a number of senior officer roles awarded salaries over £100,000.

Westmorland and Furness Council currently had nine senior officer roles with salaries over £100,000 along with 14 officer posts just under the £100,000 between £89,000 and £99,000 each.

 

Report includes contribution from Ian Duncan (Local Democracy Reporting Service)


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