'Outrageous' pay rises for West Sussex County Council staff and teachers
Rising pay levels for senior staff employed by West Sussex County Council – both officers and headteachers – have been publicly disclosed.
The increases were condemned as outrageous by the TaxPayers' Alliance, but a council spokesman said the pay bands included headteachers and other very senior school staff, whose salaries were negotiated nationally – and there were 304 schools in the county.
The figures also included existing staff, who had been earning just below 50,000 the previous year, but again due to nationally-negotiated pay increases were now included in the bands.
The figures did not mean the council had hired more middle managers.
A detailed report which went before Monday's meeting of the regulation, audit and accounts committee showed the highest earner in the non-schools band in 2008-09 was in the range 220,000 to 229,000.
Names are not given in the report, but this is understood to be county council chief executive Mark Hammond.
For 2007-2008, the highest range was given as 190,000 to 199,999.
The report said the authority was required by regulations to disclose the number of employees, including headteachers, whose emoluments were more than 50,000 a year.
The figures included salary and taxable benefits such as cars, but excluded direct reimbursement of 'costs incurred'.
Two non school-based staff were in the range 170,000 to 179,000 in 2008-09, but none had hit this level in the previous year.
One was in the range 160,000 to 169,999, one 150,000 to 159,999, one 120,000 to 129,999, and one 110,000 to 119,999.
Three non-school staff were on 100,000 to 109,999, seven on 90,000 to 99,999, five on 80,000 to 89,999, 14 on 70,000 to 79,999, 30 on 60,000 to 69,999 and 184 on 50,000 to 59,999.
In 2007-08, there were 154 on the lowest band.
The highest earner among the school-based staff was in the range 110,000 to 119,999 – but none was shown at this level the previous year.
Among other school staff, figures for 2008-09 showed there were three on 100,000 to 109,999, four on 90,000 to 99,999, 17 on 80,000 to 89,999, 16 on 70,000 to 79,999, 59 on 60,000 to 69,999 and 228 on 50,000 to 59,999. The previous year, there were 188 school staff on the lowest band.
According to the county council, it has reduced many layers of middle management as part of a drive for efficiency savings, which have released 40m year on year.
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