Shropshire Council chief lined up for £47,000 pay rise
The chief executive of Shropshire Council could see his salary rise to £150,000 per year if wide-ranging pay increases are approved next week.
The rise marks an increase of about 50 per cent in basic pay for Clive Wright. His salary this year is £103,010, but he also benefited from an added performance-related bonus of £25,000 and pension benefits.
The change is being suggested as part of measures to retain and attract staff.
Mr Wright’s pay is below the average for similar roles elsewhere in the UK. It will be discussed at a meeting of the council next Thursday.
If approved, the proposal would also see the salaries of three departmental directors go up, and the currently vacant position of director of place and enterprise, rise to between £120,000 and £130,000 a year.
The proposal follows a recently agreed national pay award that offers council staff a two-year pay increase of four per cent.
The council says salaries are up to six per cent adrift from the national rates of pay, which makes it difficult to attract, recruit and retain staff.
Pay in the public sector and in local government in particular has been restricted since 2010, with no annual pay award for staff from 2010 to 2014, and increases capped at one per cent since 2016.
Peter Nutting, Shropshire Council’s leader, said: “Shropshire attracts top talent because we offer a fantastic place to live, alongside a progressive and challenging work environment.
Valuable
"Salary is not the only reason that appropriately qualified people come to Shropshire, but pay should not be a barrier to ensuring the best people continue to want to work here.
“Our staff are our most valuable resource, and fair pay is something that we need to restore, following pay cuts in 2011 and 2012, in order avoid losing staff to other organisations.
“We want to adjust pay, as it is the fair, ‘right thing to do’. We plan to phase in the changes over the next two years, slightly ahead of the government’s pay settlement, so that our pay levels catch up by 2019/20.
“Our staff are loyal and committed to Shropshire, and there are about 40 per cent fewer staff now than in 2012, so we recognise everyone is working extremely hard.
“Although our finances are still challenging, this is something we have to do. For the budget, there is never a good time to increase pay, but all employers know that you have to pay the going rate.”
The report also proposes an increase to the senior pay bands following a review by the Local Government Association in March 2018. This review found that the council is paying its senior staff less than other comparative councils, and that it needed to address this if it wanted to recruit top talent to its most senior roles.
Analysis of the pay data contained in the review suggested that the salary for the chief executive post should be pitched somewhere within the range of £160,000 to £175,000.
Approval of the proposal would see the chief executive position increase to £150,000 per annum, bringing it more in line with other councils.
It would also see the salary for the recently vacant position of director of place and enterprise, which is responsible for economic growth and the council’s commercial ambitions, alongside the three other directors, increase to £120,000 – £130,000.
