By Lucy Phillips
1 June 2010
The government has published the salaries of 172 civil servants earning more than £150,000 in a move to increase Whitehall transparency.
The name, job title, grade and salary bracket of senior civil
servants was made public for the first time on the Cabinet Office website
today.
The list reveals the names of 172 civil servants who are paid more than the prime minister, who takes home an annual package of £142,500. John Fingleton, chief executive of the Office of Fair Trading, is the highest earner on £275,000–£279,999. NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson is next, on £255,000–£259,999, followed by IT director general and chief information officer Joe Harley, on £245,000–£249,999.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said: ‘We are pulling back the curtains to let light into the corridors of power. By being open and accountable we can start to win back people’s trust. Openness will not be comfortable for us in government; but it will enable the public to hold our feet to the fire.’
He added that transparency was ‘key’ to the government’s efficiency drive, helping to provide better value for money in public spending.
A new public sector transparency board has also been set up, chaired by Maude, to promote the policy. Further departmental spending data will be published in the coming weeks.
The move came as it was revealed that Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles vetoed a proposed salary of £240,000 for the new chief executive of the Audit Commission.
Pickles said the proposed salary contravened the spirit of new Treasury rules on controlling public sector pay. Although the pay decision is initially a matter for the Audit Commission’s board, the secretary of state has legal powers to make a ‘direction’ if necessary.
The local government spending watchdog’s previous chief executive, Steve Bundred, who left at the end of March, was paid £225,000 a year.
Pickles said the ‘public coffers were empty thanks to Labour’ and everyone needed to play their part in cutting ‘unnecessary’ costs. ‘By blocking this massive salary for the Audit Commission, I want to send a signal to councils across the country that they too can stop paying ridiculous sums to chief executives,’ he said.
Audit Commission chair Michael O’Higgins previously told Public Finance that the new chief executive’s salary would not be capped despite mounting political pressure to rein in public sector pay.
