28.06.18
Bristol council accused of breaking its own pay pledge rules
Bristol City Council has been accused of breaking its own rules after spending £2m on senior interim staff.
The council abides by a 10:1 voluntary pay pledge, which says that those on the highest salaries should not earn more than 10 times those on the lowest.
However, figures to and reported on by the BBC and Bristol Live, show the council spent £1.9m with Penna, a recruitment agency, in the financial year 2017-18 – £400,000 higher than the previous year, and £1.4m higher than the year before that (2014-15).
Colin Molton, interim executive director for growth and regeneration, is reported to be the highest paid interim executive, earning a salary of just over a quarter of a million pounds.
Bristol Live also reported that it and the BBC are aware of other senior interim directors earning over £200,000.
But a spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Bristol City Council’s senior management restructure has already saved over £800,000 per year.
“Interim directors are paid at a level that reflects their talent, skills and responsibility, and the overall cost of an interim director is no more than a permanent director, once holidays, pension contributions and other employment costs are taking into account.”
However, Green councillor for Clifton Paula O’Rourke has called for a review into the pay of interim staff after figures shown to the BBC and Bristol Live allegedly do not reflect the 10:1 pay ratio.
Bristol Live reported today that Molton is paid £26,256 more than the council’s highest salary cap, even after taking pay and contributions into account.
O’Rourke told Bristol Live that the councils lowest-paid employees earn £16,303 per year.
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