Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Almost 300 council staff earn over £50k
Almost 300 workers at cash-strapped Walsall Council earned more than £50,000 last year – 56 more than in the previous 12 months.
The draft annual accounts also reveals the authority’s top earner – chief executive Paul Sheehan – took home between £190,000 and £199,999. That represents an increased outlay of at least £20,000 compared to previous council chief, Annie Shepperd, who he took over from in January 2007. A total of 295 employees broke the £50,000 barrier in 2008-09.
This was compared to 239 in 2007-08.
It comes as the council faces a year of drastic cut-backs, in a bid to save £13.4 million in the 12 months up to next April.
The majority of the additional 56 workers earning more than £50,000 are in the £50,000-£60,000 bracket, which rose from 147 to 179. Some of the top earners include headteachers.
Council leader Mike Bird said a large proportion would have moved into a higher salary band automatically.
“If people are on £49,500 and have an annual increase within the standard terms of their contract, we have to do it by law,” he said.
But he said the issue of the council’s employment system would be the subject of a meeting this morning.
“We’ve got a meeting to set in place a new structure for staffing at the council.”
Shadow leader Councillor Tim Oliver said: “The biggest rise seems to be in the £50-60,000 bracket.
“It is clearly a lot of people earning a lot of money. We would support a real look at the management structures within the council.
“Staffing is by far the authority’s major costing and everything really needs to be as efficient as possible.
“In principle, we would certainly support a major review.”
Cost-cutting measures include axing Walsall Illuminations for the next three years, increasing parking charges and putting up fees on Meals on Wheels.
The Express & Star revealed last week that almost 500 full-time jobs had been shed at the council over the last year.
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There’s plenty of people in the private sector who earn more than £50k and certain people deserve this right or wrong but what I do object to is the final salary pension scheme they receive which no one in the private sector receives!!!!
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Why do you object to final salary scheme jimbo?Theres plenty of people who have great pensions in the private sector as well. No one seems to object to what the private sector earns when the going is good,but as soon as the going ain’t so good its oooh dear bad public sector workers for having such a good pension system in place. All the public sector is financed by tax payers money but we are all tax payers- even public sector workers.
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I think the word ‘earn’ in the headline is a missprint. It should read ‘help themselves to’ They don’t ‘EARN’ the money they just pay it to themselves.
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I’ve never worked for walsall council, but I have worked for wolverhampton and south staffs. If they were all to dissapear tomorrow I doubt that anybody would notice untill Xmas when someone might wonder where the lights were. There is unbelievable waste in the public sector, with little accountability for money. The public sector suffers from job creationism (although not so much within South Staffs)where totaly pointless work, and responsibilities are embelished
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St Joe, Do you know the percentage of private sector workers who qualify for a final salary scheme? When times are good the public sector benefits from increased funding via taxes etc. however when times are bad it’s only private sector workers who lose their jobs!
You may pay taxes however it’s the private sector who generate wealth there is a difference, imagine a country were everyone worked in the public sector, who would pay for it!
Shouldn’t the public sector’s benefits mirror that of the general population that they serve? We all moan about MPs taking too much what about everyone else on the tax payer gravy train????
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True what you say Jimbo. The only problem with the private sector is the greed from within. Private sector workers tend to be down beaten by greedy bosses who could look after them with better pensions and wage rises but who in most cases prefer to put the money in their own pockets. The Private sector may generate wealth but its all of us who help to do that-after all who buys the products the private sector make? Public sector workers,and i am one should be looked after well as they are the back bone of the economy, but few will be only bosses tend to benefit in the private sector these days.
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Not so sure that public sector workers are the back bone of the economy if we have an economy which is driven by wealth creation – and most are. Most private sector employers pay what they can afford because recruitment costs far more than staff retention. Your 1970’s cliche (and I am reading Ken Livingstone at present, and read Derek Hatton biog recently) is some what off the mark at present. Walsall Council has a £268m pension deficit at present – and as sure as eggs is eggs benefits won’t be cut within the scheme. It is us that don’t work there that will pay for it. (At lest I get some back because I did work there once).
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St Joe,to put it plainly for you BA (private sector company) offer a final salary pension scheme and are facing a £2 billion shortfall, this is a scheme closed to new entrants!!!!!
Can you imagine the money needed to fund the public sector scheme?? That money could be spent on education, medical care and community services!
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Sorry in comment no 6 i meant to say private sector workers are the back bone of the country not public although without both we would all be scuppered!
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the government wants everyone to be working for the government,is’nt that called communism,well thats red nu labour for you,50k ayear crazy as always the taxpayer paying for second rate services,they should cap it at 30k tops and if you don’e like find a new job,this country is so corrupt against the taxpayers it’s scary.
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Please remember that these pension schemes are good only because of the high rate of contributions that the employees are paying in. Unlike MP’s and other top civil servants schemes which are non-contributary, council workers pay approx 11% of their wage into these schemes.
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The public sector is the back bone of the country. No public sector-no services,pensions taxes councils, NHS, fireservice,police force and Education. Do I need to continue? However, where finance is concerned then its the private sector that comes into its own as the back bone of the country. The public sector will always get grief about what tax payers money is spent on, and especially Pensions. The workers in the public sector are in a privelaged position, and in a very protected environment.
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to pay for these high earners raise parking charges meals on wheels scrapping the lights why not just have a decrease in some of the salaries i would like to know what they do for the fifty grand plus not a lot i bet no wonder tyhey have to take approx £24 pound aweek out of a £90 pension what a disgusting state of affairs
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