The salary structure for Bristol City Council staff is “flagrantly unfair” and rewards “fat cats”, opposition councillors claim. Tory Cllr Richard Eddy says the authority’s pay policy, which states the highest earning employee’s salary must be no more than 10 times that of the lowest full-time equivalent – a ratio of 10:1 – is misleading because it excludes huge sums paid to interim directors and consultants from the calculations.
As of December 31, 2021, the official pay ratio was 9.36:1, an improvement on the previous year of 9.45:1. That assumes the biggest wage was chief executive and head of paid service Mike Jackson’s, who was on £171,000 in 2021/22.
But as reported last summer, Clean Air Zone communication and engagement director Nicki Beardmore cost taxpayers £218,000 and was one of three contractors paid more than Mr Jackson, according to the council’s latest annual statement of accounts which covers 2020/21. The documents said fees paid in respect of interim staff are the “costs incurred by the council to secure the individuals’ services on this basis and not the amounts these individuals actually received (which will have been lower)”, and the agency personnel do not receive employer’s pension contributions or holiday and sick pay.
