Rise that takes pay of council chief to £110,000 defended

POLITICAL leaders have defended an inflation-busting pay rise which is set to make a Yorkshire council’s chief executive the highest paid among his contemporaries despite his staff enduring a wage freeze throughout the last three years.

Hambleton District Council’s most senior civil servant, Phil Morton, is in line for a 10 per cent increase in his salary which will take his annual earnings to £110,000 in a move which has sparked anger that financial rewards are only being enjoyed among the upper echelons of the authority.

The pay increases come after the most turbulent period in the council’s history which has seen a complete restructuring of its senior management after former chief executive Peter Simpson stood down following complaints over his “abusive and dominating” behaviour. The council’s leader Neville Huxtable announced last month he is resigning for “personal reasons” after three years in the job, with his successor due to be appointed in May.

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Unison’s regional head of local government, Chris Jenkinson, said: “It cannot be right that front-line staff who are dealing with the public at a time when services are being cut have received no more money, while their managers are being given substantial pay rises. It is hard to justify why Hambleton District Council’s managers are enjoying such significant salary increases.”

Mr Morton will be awarded two incremental rises of £5,000 – the first in April followed by a second just 12 months later – which will make him the highest paid chief executive of North Yorkshire’s seven district councils. The management team of five directors is also set for two increases totalling £4,500 to bring their annual salaries up to £70,000. National negotiations are continuing for local government staff to be awarded a one per cent rise in April. The increases in Hambleton come as the council looks to cut its £9.6m revenue budget by as much as £3m amid the Government’s austerity drive. But deputy leader Ron Kirk was adamant the pay rises are needed to ensure the council has the best possible managers.

He said: “There has been uncertainty within the council, but we are now moving forward. The incremental pay rises have been agreed to ensure we have the best managers in place. It is not a question of the lower paid staff being ignored, but we are asking a lot from our directors and they should be rewarded with the relevant pay.”

Hambleton’s senior management team was introduced last May and has overseen a huge transition as a shared services arrangement with neighbouring Richmondshire District Council has been unravelled. The scheme achieved £2.6m savings in three years and won acclaim from the Government, but came to an end when Hambleton announced it was scrapping an arrangement where a chief executive oversaw both authorities. Mr Simpson stood down from his role as the joint chief executive but he has remained an employee of Hambleton. He will leave next month after being paid £62,000 without dealing with the authority’s staff, and has instead worked on projects for the District Councils Network.

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Mr Morton’s wage rises will see him overtake the £108,618 salary of Harrogate Borough Council’s chief executive, Wallace Simpson, who is currently the highest paid officer in North Yorkshire’s district authorities. Richmondshire appointed Tony Clark as its managing director after the shared services arrangement was dismantled. Mr Clark was given a £3,000 rise when he was promoted from deputy chief executive and now earns £93,000, the second lowest after Selby’s chief executive, Martin Connor, who is on £92,852. None of the other district chief executives are due a pay rise.

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