Senior officers' pay at County Council jumps by ca £10m
Figures published by Surrey County Council and available on the Surrey-I website have revealed a huge rise in the cost of senior officer pay in just 12 months.
The information published by the authority in accordance with the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 has revealed that the number of its officers earning over £50,000 has increased from 407 in 2018/19 to 558 in 2019/20. The number of those being paid between £50,000 - 54,999 has increased from 127 to 212. A greater increase is seen in the £60,000 - £64,999 pay bracket where the number of officers has jumped from 49 to 154. In total the pay bill for all senior employees has risen by around £10m.
At today's full council meeting Chris Botten, Leader of the Surrey Opposition Forum and Lib Dem County Councillor for Caterham Hill submitted a question to ask whether the salary budget for senior staff was out of control.
"In a time when Surrey County Council has been and is still undergoing a major transformation of its services, it is right that we challenge the administration on this large increase. Whilst we appreciate that it is necessary to have employees of the right calibre to deliver these changes, we need to be sure that the right balance is being struck and keep the public informed on how their money is being spent."