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.
Read more: Questions over ‘bogus’ rule on paying high salaries to Bristol City Council bosses
Cllr Richard Eddy (Conservative, Bishopsworth) told full council: “For the last six years, the Tory group has opposed the annual pay policy and will do so again today. Ninety-nine per cent of the content is factual and uncontentious.
“We oppose this pay policy for one simple reason – it proclaims, indeed it boasts, that the best-paid staff earn no more than 10 times the pay of the least-paid employees. I have previously denounced this claim as bogus and a sham.
“If I was to use less parliamentary language, I would even say it was a lie. The fact remains that this woefully selective ratio is based on only the council's permanent contracted employees.
“It carefully excludes those interims, consultants and agency staff who have been paid a daily rate equal to £100,000 over the chief executive’s pay. The real ratio would show that Bristol massively fails to meet the much-vaunted 10:1 pay ratio.
“If the cabinet hadn’t chosen last spring to transfer 200 cleaners and other low-paid staff to Bristol Waste, the 10:1 pay ratio would be even worse.” Knowle Community Party Cllr Gary Hopkins said: “For years several of us on the HR committee were pointing out that there were people who were paid monstrous amounts of money but were on so-called temporary contracts.
“That included somebody in a senior management position in this council in charge of a large number of employees and they had been in that position not for a month or two but years, and bluntly that means that the whole thing was tainted. The public are outraged by some of the huge pay that goes through so-called consultants.
“If it’s a matter of a few days or weeks, that’s one thing, but when it’s a long-term situation where they’re effectively in charge of management of departments, it’s utterly ridiculous to leave them out of the calculations.” Cllr Sarah Classick (Lib Dem, Hengrove & Whitchurch Park) told the meeting: “The pay policy continues to publish historically inaccurate pay ratios because of the use of overpaid consultants within this council.
“I’m happy to note that HR have committed to working with the HR committee to find ways forward for this pay policy and I hope that next year it’s a much more positive outcome.” Cllr Kerry Bailes (Labour, Hartcliffe & Withywood) said: “The key point for me is that the council’s lowest paid workers earn at least the Real Living Wage.
“Times are tough but I’m glad the council is playing its part in helping. There is of course still work to do. Some of the lowest and highest paid staff are employed through agencies. We should look to get the agency staff on the same pay structures as council staff.
“It’s more difficult to do that than for council staff but it’s definitely something we can work towards.” HR committee chairwoman Cllr Lorraine Francis (Green, Eastville) said: “It’s not ideal, it’s something I and fellow committee members are all passionately engaged in looking at, so hopefully by 2024 we can address this situation.”
From April 1, the lowest-paid workers’ wages will increase by £1 an hour to £10.90 – the Real Living Wage – equal to £21,029 a year for a full-time 37-hour week. Full council approved the pay policy, with Labour and Greens voting in favour, the Tories and Knowle Community against and the Lib Dems abstaining.
Read next:
One Bristol City Council officer cost taxpayers £280K last year, accounts reveal
Change in Bristol autism diagnosis referral means children must now be in 'crisis'
Parents brand new Bristol autism referral rules 'discriminatory' and 'monstrous'
POLITICS: To keep up to date with latest Bristol politics news, and discuss thoughts with other residents, join our Bristol politics news and discussion here. You can also sign up to our politics newsletter here.
Click here for the latest headlines from in and around Bristol.
