TOP SIX COUNCIL WORKERS EARN £500K COMBINED
Published 20 Jul 2012 09:30
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'Exit packages' for redundancies also top £10m
THE COMBINED salaries of just six senior council officials topped half-a-million-pounds last year, the Times can reveal.
According to North Ayrshire Council's Draft Annual Accounts for 2011/12 six of the top earners took home a collective sum of more than £500,000.
The highest earner of the lot was, of course, NAC's chief executive Elma Murray whose pay packet was a staggering £126,597.
Astonishingly that figure was FURTHER topped up by a payment of £11,150 in relation to her duties as North Ayrshire's Electoral Returning Officer.
Two corporate directors - Carol Kirk (education and skills) and Iona Colvin (social services and health) were paid £99,390 each, while council solicitor Ian Mackay took home £89,277.
Alasdair Herbert, was corporate director of finance and infrastructure until his retirement in October was paid £57,882, for the portion of the year which he was employed.
his replacement, Laura Friel, who took over in November 2011, received £55, 217 for the 2011/12 financial year.
In total the six NAC employees were paid a whopping £538,903.
The Draft Accounts also revealed that North Ayrshire's 30 councillors in 2011/12 also made more than half-a-million pounds in combined salaries - an exact total of £552, 207. On top of that figure councillors also claimed a combined total of £38,692 in expenses taking the total amount paid to elected members to £590,899.
In addition to the whopping salaries, NAC also agreed to 289 'exit packages' for staff leaving in the 2011/12 year through redundancy, retirement etc, which totalled a staggering £10,292,160. Of that figure one staff member exited with a healthy sum of £239,684 while another's package contained a handsome £274,397.
A spokesman for North Ayrshire Council said: "Details of senior Council officers' salaries are a matter of public record and the most up-to-date information is on the Council's website.
"The salaries paid to Chief Officers in North Ayrshire Council are comparable with those paid by similar sized local authorities. The difference in costs between 2010/11 and 2011/12 reflects the hand-over of the Corporate Director of Finance and Infrastructure and additional payment for election duties.
"Payment for election duties is not included in the information on the Council website."
This article appeared in Irvine Times 20 Jul 12
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