Pay rises on the cards for senior council staff in Staffordshire
Senior staff at South Staffordshire District Council could see pay rises later this month, with recommendations due to be confirmed at a meeting on 16 September.
In July it was proposed the pay of the chief executive will rise by more than £9,000 to £138,962.
The pay review also covers corporate directors, the Section 151 officer, and assistant directors, with increases to their salary bands.
Once the changes come into force existing post holders will move up one pay point. The last pay review was carried out in 2023 following a decision by the council to review senior officers’ pay every two years in 2021. The last time the chief executive pay increased was 2021.
New salary points are being introduced for all senior roles to keep up with changes in the market and ‘talent shortages’. The move will cost the council £47,589 per year which will be funded through the council’s risks and pressures budget.
It is expected that council will approve the changes at the next meeting on 16 September, when the changes come into effect. The report from I’anson Burns benched marked salaries against councils in Staffordshire from the most recent data available before making recommendations.
The report states: "The Council’s policy is to benchmark senior salaries to the middle range of the data set. In line with previous exercises, we have utilised the median quartile of comparable organisations. Given current recruitment and retention challenges—especially in the light of local government reorganisation – it is important that salaries remain competitive.
“Given the salary of this post has not been reviewed for 4 years and it would place the Council at significant risk to lose an experienced Chief Executive particularly in the context of the demands and complexity of Local Government Re-Organisation, it is proposed that the post-holder is placed on £138,962 with effect from 16 September 2025.
“The total full-year effect of the proposed grading would be £47,589 (split between £35,251 increased salary and £12,338 on-costs), with a part-year impact in 2025/26. This can be funded by viring budget from a HR Risks and Pressures budget line which was originated for this type of review.”
