Graham Stuart Backs Conservative Moves For Change

Conservative candidate for Beverley and Holderness, Graham Stuart, today backed moves by the party to change the way local councils award payouts to senior officers when they retire.

His comments came after East Riding of Yorkshire Council announced out-going senior officer Sue Lockwood would be getting £364,000 as part of an early retirement package.

Last week the Taxpayers’ Alliance published its annual survey of senior town hall salaries.

It revealed 1,250 town hall staff earned more than £100,000 last year, 166 earned more than £150,000 and 31 earned more than the Prime Minister.

Conservatives are calling for the name, title and salary package of every senior town hall official earning over £60,000 to be published online.

This information would be available in an open and standardised format, avoiding the need for groups like the Taxpayers’ Alliance to undertake time consuming Freedom of Information Act requests to drag out the information from council officers.

The Audit Commission has previously warned that the pay rises of senior town hall staff has not been matched by similar improvements in performance. The Commission also slammed the pay-offs paid to departing chief executives.

Graham said: “I am still at a loss to understand how, in the current economic climate, the Council can justify paying this sort of cash on a discretionary basis.

“The Council should concentrate limited resources on the provision of front line services which are genuinely needed by residents.”

Bob Neill, Shadow Minister for Local Government, said:

“Under Labour, struggling families and pensioners are now paying a record £120 a month in council tax. They have seen their council tax bills double under Gordon Brown and their rubbish collections halved.

To add insult to injury, town hall clerks have morphed into highly paid chief executives moving from council to council like football managers. It is time to shine the light of transparency on town hall fat cats, to help the public and councillors stop unjustified pay and perks.”