Council boss earns £180,000

SHROPSHIRE COUNCIL'S new chief executive earns £180,000 a year and has claimed more than £1,800 in expenses six months after he started, figures showed today.

Details of Kim Ryley's salary and expenses were published today by the council, which has also revealed the sc-ale of salaries for other members of the senior membership team, which range from £85,000 to £130,000.

John Dodson, chairman of the Shropshire Association of Senior Citizens' Forums, today said he was concerned about the level of salaries.

He said in many cases public sector officials were taking home more than their counterparts in the private sector and said councils needed to take a "long, hard look" at how much they were paying their top staff.

Mr Ryley said: "We provide over 600 different services for local people and businesses, and oversee an annual budget of £628 million. That's clearly a huge responsibility, which is reflected in the salaries of senior management staff."

The statistics, which cover the period April 2009 to February 2010, also show that Valerie Beint, director of community services, netted £120,000 and claimed £1,481.52 in expenses.

Tom McCabe, director of development services, received £130,000 and claimed £3,548.43 in expenses.

Claire Porter, assistant chief executive (legal and democratic services) and monitoring officer, is on a salary of £95,000. She claimed £1,602.41 expenses.

Michael Hyatt, assistant chief executive (performance and partnerships) who started on May 26 last year, received a salary of £85,000 for the period covered, and claimed £1,742.49.

Laura Rowley, director of resources, received a salary of £125,000 and claimed £3,541.30 in expenses. Liz Nicholson, who retired as director of children's and young people's services in March, received a salary of £125,000 and claimed £2,100.35 in expenses.

Each of the senior team claimed a lump sum of £1,072.50 within their expenses for being an essential car user, while Mr Ryley claimed £487.50 for this.

By John Kirk