Authority's top earners "should take a pay cut" (From The Northern Echo)

Authority's top earners "should take a pay cut"

6:20am Wednesday 10th March 2010

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By Neil Macfarlane »

THE top earners at Darlington Borough Council should take a ten per cent pay cut to help the authority get through the recession, a councillor has claimed.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Peter Freitag called for the chief executive and directors to review their own wages before making cuts to services.

Last month, cabinet members rubber-stamped cuts worth £4.7m in the budget for the coming year, which included the loss of 41 jobs.

“I’m concerned that these high-paid officials are not willing to give up anything,”

he said.“If they gave up ten per cent of their salaries it would save a lot of money.

They would be doing something that even the bankers are beginning to do.

“There needs to be a whole management structure review.

There are managers with only one person under them.

“Budgets are tight at the moment, why don’t we look at those who earn more than £80,000 a year. Some earn more than £150,000.

“The public sector is often paid much more but delivers much less than the private sector.

“They want to make cuts, but they are looking at the wrong end.

But that’s the way it always happens. The people in charge of cutting are not going to cut themselves.”

The council’s chief executive, Ada Burns, earns £156,720 a year, while director of corporate services Paul Wildsmith, director of community services Cliff Brown and director of children’s services Murray Rose earn up to £115,725. In comparison George Garlick, the chief executive of the newly-created Durham County Council unitary authority earns £200,000, while Prime Minister Gordon Brown earns £187,611.

Councillor John Williams, the council’s Labour leader, hit back at Coun Freitag’s comments and accused him of trying to generate publicity for the Liberal Democrats ahead of the General Election, adding: “What Coun Freitag is saying is nothing to do with the council’s senior management, it is all about Coun Freitag acting as a front for Councillor Mike Barker, the Liberal Democrat candidate in the coming General Election. Lib Dems simply want to generate a sound bite story for local press.

“Sensible Darlington people will not be taken in by this.”

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Your Say YourNorth-East

DeliveredDaily, Darlington says...
7:29am Wed 10 Mar 10

Councillor Williams has hit the nail right on the head. Why should any council officer give up any of their earned income? I imagine that the council's most senior officers are working so much harder because over the last couple of years when officers have left many have not been replaced for budgetary reasons, but the workload at least remains the same and has often grown.

If Cllr Frietag was doing his job properly he would have known this.

Maybe Cllr Frietag might like to set an example and donate 10% of his company's profits to subsidise the council's budget tensions if he's really bothered.