Council Executive pay rises ratified at 1%

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Deputy Chief Executive of RMBC Linda Fisher will be assimilated onto a directors pay grade plus 1% and Chief Executive Jim Taylor will get a 1% pay rise

The council executive pay rise fiasco is finally at an end as councillors have voted to increase the council Chief Executive's pay by 1%, in line with other council workers.

In early October Rochdale Online broke the news that the Council was proposing to give CEO of RMBC, Jim Taylor, a whopping pay rise of £40,000 per year, taking his present salary of £130,000 to £170,000 per annum.

Other senior council officers were also to get huge increases at a time when public sector workers pay increases are capped at 1%.

Borough council tax payers were stunned and there was a huge public outcry.

There followed a series of twists and turns as Council Leader Colin Lambert attempted to get the huge pay rises ratified against strong opposition within his own party, as well as opposition parties.

It was only on Monday evening, at a Labour Group meeting, that Councillor Lambert was finally forced into what one of his colleagues described as a "humiliating" climb down and a motion, understood to come from Councillor Allen Brett, that the pay rise be 1% was carried.

The 1% proposal was ratified at a special council meeting this evening (Wednesday 11 December).

The Chief Executive will receive a 1% pay rise with executive directors assimilated onto a directors pay grade plus 1%.

Conservative and Lib Dem councillors voted against the proposal.

Conservative group leader, Councillor Dearnley complained that "receiving the amendment today was unfair and did not give time to consider the proposals".

A spokesperson for the council said: “There have been a number of options presented to the employment committee and now to full council.

“The council has decided to assimilate executive directors onto a directors’ pay grade frozen at the starting point plus a one per cent pay award. The Chief Executive will only receive the one per cent increase.”

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Colin Lambert said: “I have no regrets or humiliation about going public with this matter.

“By doing this in public you get responses and sometimes you hear things you don’t like or don’t want to hear but they haven’t fallen on deaf ears.

“We have listened to the public and have talked to the workforce, walked round the town centre and spoken to the public.

“Phase two continue tomorrow and we hope to do it internally and regards 88 positions. This could take six months with the number of positions.

“The Labour group has come out stronger after this and I had the support of the group even before Monday.”

• http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/84201/chief-executives-pay-rise-to-be-limited-to-1pc
• http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/83970/council-overview-and-scrutiny-committee-propose-further-recommendations-regarding-chief-executive-pay-rise
• http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/83966/employment-committee-recommend-massive-pay-rise-for-chief-executive
• http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/83117/a-remarkable-week-even-for-rochdale