A rule that is supposed to ensure Bristol City Council’s highest earner is paid no more than 10 times that of the lowest is “a lie”, it is claimed. Opposition councillors criticised the annual pay policy for excluding 'monstrous'' sums splashed out to some agency workers, consultants and interim appointments.
Officially, the top officer’s salary was 8.93 times that of the poorest staff on December 31, 2022, which is within the 10:1 maximum ratio. But a meeting of full council heard this was “woefully selective” because it was based only on the organisation‘s permanent employees.
As reported last summer, the authority’s accounts show that although then chief executive Mike Jackson received £174,073 in 2021/22, interim director of homes and landlord services Donald Graham cost taxpayers £280,634 – almost £100,000 more. He did not receive all of that money because some of the fees would have gone to a third party, such as a recruitment agency, to secure his services. He has since become a full-time employee in the role and is on considerably less, although still a six-figure salary and is now entitled to holiday and sick pay and employer’s pension contributions.
