Council's £120,000 salary offer to new Director

Rochdale Borough Council is advertising for a new Executive Director, offering a salary of £120,000, leading to controversy about recent pay cuts.

The advert, placed on the council website and in the national media, mentions the substantial salary is also subject to the pay and grading review, which has cut some people’s wages as much as £11,000.

It has not been confirmed whether the salary is likely to rise or fall, and the council has not disclosed how much money the previous person, Margaret Carney, was earning.

A council worker, whose salary is set to drop by £8000, said: “This is too senior a position to get a pay cut, if it is to change at all, it will probably go up.

“That said, somebody has left and has to be replaced, so I don’t fault them for getting someone in.

“Where they are out of order is paying someone like that so much when we are all struggling with our decreasing wages”.

The advert reads: As part of our change agenda, we are looking for a new Executive Director to lead a number of our core internal services, drive forward our transformation programme, 'Stepping Up', and take responsibility for a number of our customer facing services.

“This is a unique opportunity to join a dynamic organisation in what is a vital corporate, cross-cutting role, key to the future development of our council and our borough”.

Stephen Harper, the council’s head of people management, said: “Despite not being required to do so, Rochdale Borough Council has made a commitment to undertake a pay and grading review of the senior figures in the authority."

"The current pay and grading review encompasses all council employees on NJC terms and conditions. Senior management are not employed on NJC terms and conditions so are therefore not subject to the review and there is no national requirement for these positions to be reviewed by local authorities.”