By Alex Klaushofer
The government is consulting on plans to force councils to disclose the pay and perks of their senior staff.
The government is consulting on plans to force councils to disclose the pay and perks of their senior staff.The Department for Communities and Local Government wants to do this by amending the Accounts and Audit Regulations. This would create a legal requirement for councils and public bodies such as police authorities to publish details of senior executives’ pay and benefits in their 2009/10 accounts.
The legislation would apply to bonuses, pensions and pay-offs as well as basic salary, and would include senior appointments made on a temporary basis.
‘Senior’ is defined as the head of a service, such as a director or chief officer, plus the next level of staff down.
The launch of the consultation on March 30 follows local government minister John Healey’s assertion that local authorities should be held to the same disclosure standards as ministers and senior civil servants.
‘It is right that councils decide the wages for their staff, but the public pays and they have the right to see the full picture of top pay and perks,’ said Healey.
The measure was intended to stop pay levels spiralling out of control, he added. The consultation will run until June 22.
