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Dudley Council bosses under fire on management pay rises

Council leaders have come under fire for creating new senior management jobs with a pay rise of up to £30,000 at a cash-strapped authority in the Black Country.

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Officials claim axing 11 senior management positions out of 22 at Dudley Council will save £1 million from staffing budgets under proposals expected to be ratified later this month.

But opposition councillors hit back at the council's Labour administration after it emerged the 11 manager positions left will be on increased salaries.

However during heated exchanges during Dudley Council's cabinet meeting this week, council leaders claimed they had created new roles with more responsibilities requiring greater remuneration.

See also: 130 jobs to go at Dudley Council.

Five directors, who are in charge of departments and report to the chief executive, earning £104,604 per year, would be replaced by three 'strategic' directors.

The new 'strategic director for people' who manages children's services, adult social care and health and well being, will command a salary of between £122,500 and £130,000.

Should pay be increased when Dudley Council is trying to save money? Join in the debate below.

And salaries for the other two positions - director of resources and transformation and director for the environment, economy and housing - could be around £117,000 and £127,000.

The 17 assistant directors, currently earning £70,049 a year, will be replaced by eight chief officer posts earning £89,000 under the scheme.

Dudley Council says that if it is struggling to recruit candidates or retain staff it could be forced to increase agreed salaries under rules called the market forces supplement.

See also: Cash-strapped Midland councils' foreign trips cost £47,000.

Conservative group leader, Councillor Patrick Harley, said if pay levels remained the same the authority could have saved up to an additional £300,000.

"People here at the council can believe these are very different jobs and very different roles," he said.

"To the people out there, the council taxpayers, they are the same roles and same responsibilities.

"And you have a hard task selling that to those people. We do not believe that this is the right time to increase or adjust the salaries range that we worked very hard on when we were in control of the council."

UKIP councillor Paul Brothwood added: "At this time to actually be increasing salaries is not satisfactory."

Council leader, Councillor David Sparks, responded: "If people who are currently employed by Dudley Council are successful in obtaining any of the strategic director jobs they will be doing jobs that are substantially different than what they are doing now.

"In order to attract people to do those jobs we have to pay more money than what they are paid now because that is the market rate to do that job."

The cabinet decision will go before a meeting of the full council on October 13.

See also: Cash-strapped Dudley Council to fund £2.5m car park.

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