Re: Pay rise for council leaders?

Dalelad Mon Oct 14, 2013 2:23 pm

The've said it's come from the savings from overhauling the senior management set up. They've saved something like £2.5M I think, so that to them justifies giving themselves an early christmas present each.

I think that if they do end up increasing salaries, then the roles need to be re-advertised, and we could then get far better 'Premiership' level executives, instead of the lower league ones we've ended up with. Premier League wages should follow Premier League performances not precede them.

Hinch Mon Oct 14, 2013 3:01 pm

My PERSONAL view is somewhere betwixt DL's and HPP's. I think that the CEO could be worth that much in the right town at the right time if they really did deliver massively. However this is the wrong town at the wrong time.

Jim Taylor is a good bloke; probably the best we've ever had but these increases are indefensible. Premiership salaries in a Conference League town. Jim's fat rise may be funded externally via central government and the police authority but it's still coming out of the public purse. Something that the controlling group fail to understand.

RMBC have, to their credit, made some massive savings but to hand out huge amounts of this back to a few well paid staff cannot be justified at any rational level.

Before I wrote the RO story, I listened to the arguments very carefully and tried to be both fair and objective but in the end, it really was a no-brainer.

The best that can come out of Wednesday's meeting would be a decision to defer.

On a very personal level, was very pleased to see RO getting this story several days before the Ob, BBC and Daily Mail thought it newsworthy. Thanks to those who sent congratulatory pms and emails.

teamplayer2 Mon Oct 14, 2013 5:08 pm

Thanks to those who sent congratulatory pms and emails.

You are welcome Hinch.

Guest Mon Oct 14, 2013 9:57 pm

Rochdale MP shocked by proposal and warns of backlash

Rochdale News | News Headlines | MP urges Labour group to reconsider chief exec pay rise - Rochdale Online

: -

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/83056/mp-urges-labour-group-to-reconsider-chief-exec-pay-rise

Heywoodpp Mon Oct 14, 2013 10:49 pm

RO say that the proposed pay rise for CEO is withdrawn but the pay rises for other senior public servants is being tabled including one of £30 000!!!

I have fired off this email to the councillors of the four wards who represent my parishioners:
Dear colleagues,

I welcome the news that the proposed hike in the CE's salary of £40 000 will not be placed before you on Wednesday.

However, I am disturbed by the report on RO:
"However, it is understood that Councillor Lambert insisted that the pay rise from £71,376 to £101,062 for Mark Widdup, from £84,991 to £91,087 for Linda Fisher and from £108,618 to £108,987 for Sheila Downey would go ahead as planned."

This is NOT about Jim or the position of CEO; this is about the morality of giving some people a £30 000 pay rise (c30% for Mark Widdup) while other public servants get 1% or lose their jobs.

Jim may well have declined his pay rise. Voting to give another senior officer £30 000 more and another c£6000 more (£500 a month or £100 a week) seems to have missed the point. I accept that this will mean a disparity between their salary and Sheila's. Surely the fairer way to resolve that would be to put all three of them on a salary of c £70 000 a year? After all, what exactly does one do with more than a thousand pounds a week??

Can we please get away from this obscene idea that the only way we will get people to commit to serve the people of this Borough is to pay them daft sums of money? RMBC rightly prides itself now on paying a living wage. Why not extend that to the people at the top of the tree? Pay them a living wage, not an obesely inflated wage.

If the proposal still comes before you on Wednesday, without the CEO's pay rise, please vote against it or to defer it to a vote by the public in each Township.

Paul

Jeanie Mon Oct 14, 2013 10:55 pm

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/83051/heywood-and-middleton-mp-backs-huge-council-executive-pay-rises

Time for Jim to retire, obvious he has no idea regarding what is actually going on Shocked

Heywoodpp Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:00 pm

My hunch is that Jim Taylor has told Colin that he will not take the increase. That allows Colin to withdraw that element of the proposal but not the rest.

So Mark Widdup will still get 30 grand more, Linda Fisher 7 grand more and Sheila Downey a few hundred quid more. Linda has a more senior role that Sheila. Rather than pay her more, why not put them all on an equal salary, say £52 000 a year, or a THOUSAND POUNDS A WEEK. Reckon they could survive on that? I reckon I could.

Guest Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:03 pm

Quick off the mark twice there HeywoodPP, Smile

It's like Snakes AND LADDERS. What a shambolic farce !

Council leader climbs down in face of revolt on chief executive pay - Rochdale Online

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/83061/council-leader-climbs-down-in-face-of-revolt-on-chief-executive-pay. ( For now, that is

The circus is in town. Next ?

Jeanie Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:07 pm

Linda Fisher's pay rise is over £12 grand ?

Atlas Tue Oct 15, 2013 12:16 am

Stop shilly-shallying about. Not one of them, considering their present levels of pay, should be receiving one penny piece whilst others are getting sacked or a miserly 1% increase. These people are already very adequately paid and until such times as the towns economy drags itself, by their efforts or others, from the present mire and the town sees some improvements in their efforts ( not consultants) they should remain as and at present levels of renumeration. I DON'T CARE WHAT OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS ARE COMING FROM UNELECTED STRANGERS IN SHADOWY CORNERS OR WHETHER OR NOT IT IS 'THE RULE' FOR SUCH AUTOMATIC INCREASES IN PAY LEVELS. IT IS NOT 'NORMAL' TIMES OR 'STATUS QUO' - and until those times return all rules and recommendations should be put where many a council employee has been put - on the scrap-heap. Rolling Eyes

Heywoodpp Tue Oct 15, 2013 12:48 am

Quick calculation. If you are on £70,000 a year and, to share the lot of others, take 1% a year, that would get you £134 pounds a week more extra alone; 1% !!!!!!! Why in God's name (who hears the cry of the poor) do you need more that £7,000 extra on top to pay your bills ? Do ypu need to feed the meter or pay the school fees? Is it a choice between Dinner at Nutters or the FoodBank? Can you keep one foot in the Algarve or will it be a B and B in Abergele?

Hinch Tue Oct 15, 2013 8:26 am

Heywoodpp wrote:RO say that the proposed pay rise for CEO is withdrawn but the pay rises for other senior public servants is being tabled including one of £30 000!!!

I have fired off this email to the councillors of the four wards who represent my parishioners:
Dear colleagues,

I welcome the news that the proposed hike in the CE's salary of £40 000 will not be placed before you on Wednesday.

However, I am disturbed by the report on RO:
"However, it is understood that Councillor Lambert insisted that the pay rise from £71,376 to £101,062 for Mark Widdup, from £84,991 to £91,087 for Linda Fisher and from £108,618 to £108,987 for Sheila Downey would go ahead as planned."

This is NOT about Jim or the position of CEO; this is about the morality of giving some people a £30 000 pay rise (c30% for Mark Widdup) while other public servants get 1% or lose their jobs.

Jim may well have declined his pay rise. Voting to give another senior officer £30 000 more and another c£6000 more (£500 a month or £100 a week) seems to have missed the point. I accept that this will mean a disparity between their salary and Sheila's. Surely the fairer way to resolve that would be to put all three of them on a salary of c £70 000 a year? After all, what exactly does one do with more than a thousand pounds a week??

Can we please get away from this obscene idea that the only way we will get people to commit to serve the people of this Borough is to pay them daft sums of money? RMBC rightly prides itself now on paying a living wage. Why not extend that to the people at the top of the tree? Pay them a living wage, not an obesely inflated wage.

If the proposal still comes before you on Wednesday, without the CEO's pay rise, please vote against it or to defer it to a vote by the public in each Township.

Paul

My very highly informed sources tell me that Jim did NOT decline his rise- far from it.

Of course if all the rest of his team get astronomical rises and he doesn't, I should imagine that he'll be considering his future as a matter of some urgency.

Spartacus Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:15 am

I did not object to the pay rise for the Chief Exec, I objected to these pay rises across the Board. It is not good enough to put a stop to Jim's pay rise and allow the others to go ahead. The brakes need to be applied to all of them, unless it's at the 1% rate that applies to everyone else.

Hinch Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:28 am

Got it in a nutshell Sparky.

I wouldn't mind 1% of £120k.

Hamid Tue Oct 15, 2013 11:03 am

Can this Labour leader survive this great split in his party. Surely, by trying to impose these ridiculous rises through and thrown his personal weight behind it makes his position very difficult? He should have met with the group and ascertained the strength of feeling before trying to force this through?

Time for a change of leadership I think. We need someone who can unite the party not make them look like a laughing stock in the national press. The other rises should not go ahead either. It is a scandal. They make cuts and save money with one hand and give it back with the other to just a few already privileged people.

I see the two MP's are taking very different positions. It seems that there are two very different Labour Parties in this town. Mr Dobbin has got things very wrong and has backed the losing horse.

These 15 dissenting councillors need to grasp the nettle and oppose these other pay rises. Opposing the rise for Mr Taylor was a good starting gesture but it needs to be followed up by firmer action in respect of the other top posts if I am to be convinced of their real integrity and commitment.

Mr Lambert has clearly lost the confidence of a sizable minority of his party. Time for him to go.

Chill37 Tue Oct 15, 2013 12:10 pm

I suspectr very strongly that the Labour spin machine is gearing up

Hinch Tue Oct 15, 2013 12:25 pm

Theyll have a job on their hands to convince Joe Punter that this is not one almighty cock-up and is instead, evidence of a strong, united party which encourages genuine and open debate. Leaders need to be reminded sometimes that they rule only by consensus and not by seeking to impose their will on others.

The key to understanding the local party is to know just how deep the rift is between the pro and anti Danczuk wings.

Hinch Tue Oct 15, 2013 12:32 pm

Yet another twist in the tale:-

http://rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/83065/chief-exec-still-to-get-massive-pay-rise-as-council-leader-reneges-on-promise-to-labour-councillors

Jeanie Tue Oct 15, 2013 12:57 pm

What a shambles no wonder Rochdale has such a bad name !

I hope Wednesday's meeting begins with a vote of no confidence in the Leadership of this Council and puts a stop to all these power crazed people who are more interested in trying to beat each other rather than look after the interests of this once proud Borough and stop making us a laughing stock.
Just pathetic and very embarrassing !

Spartacus Tue Oct 15, 2013 1:26 pm

Furious! How out of touch or bull headed can the Council Leader be? The proposal is immoral regardless of where the money comes from. No, no, NO!

Chill37 Tue Oct 15, 2013 1:37 pm

I will go as far to say he is a liar as well.

Hamid Tue Oct 15, 2013 1:38 pm

I have a message for Councillor Lambert:-

It's time to GO!!!

Spartacus Tue Oct 15, 2013 1:40 pm

Is there a planned protest tomorrow night?

Apparently the meeting is at 6 o'clock. Rumours on twitter the BBC will be attending.

Hinch Tue Oct 15, 2013 7:41 pm

Well don't go pelting me with rotten eggs. I'm only the poor bloody messenger. Still, I might see if the office kitty will run to a flak jacket.

And I thought this would be a nice, cushy, non-confrontational job to ease me out of a gentle NHS retirement.

Still, first job I did for RO, I had to be escorted by police round the back door of the Town Hall because of an EDL demo. And that was only for the mayor-making!

I might ask for a quieter posting to Syria or Afghanistan.

teamplayer2 Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:36 pm

IS THERE A PROTEST AT THE COUNCIL MEETING TOMORROW OR NOT THEN?

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