Calls for senior officer pension contributions to be reviewed, after documents reveal Hartlepool Council is paying out over £100k a year just in pension contributions to its seven most senior officers...
5th Jan 2023 06:29am
Theres renewed calls for councillors not to be swayed by claims of morale being effected if they dare to look into senior officer pay at one of the regions smallest unitary authorities following revelations its top seven officers have raked in over £100k in pension contributions between them according to the councils own financial accounts.
Hartlepool Councils latest reported accounts shows a concerning level of pension contributions being paid to the councils most senior officers.
Hartlepool Borough Council's poised to look for millions of pounds worth of savings when it reconvenes later this month, as cheap & reckless borrowing taken out when the council was supposed to be saving money in the last round of austerity has come back to haunt the embattled authority, with inflation & rising interest rates all seeing the councils borrowing liabilities skyrocket to almost that of what the council receives in yearly revenue, with the council own reports detailing that bankruptcy has never been so close to call for the poorly run local council.
HBC;s CEO Denise McGugkin sparked public outrage last month when she claimed reviewing her salary & that of her colleagues would "damage morale"
Previous calls by the towns labour group to review senior officer pay was met with a rather unhappy response by the councils so called managing director, who claimed reviewing senior officer pay would “damage staff morale” & forcing some senior officers to consider leaving the role itself.
The “crocodile tears speech” spurted out by the councils CEO who earns around £170k a year seemingly left councillors fearful that undertaking such an action could potentially trigger “walkouts” by senior staff, leading to the plans reportedly being shelved. However increasing public pressure for councillors now to go back & review senior officer pay is increasing, as members of the pubic again say that councillors “fear” of reviewing senior officer pay shows once again that the local council's top management is simply “top heavy” & is a gravy train the people of Hartlepool can no longer afford. .
Hartlepool Tax Payers shelled out £100,490 in pension contributions to the councils most senior officers, with many saying its simply not value for money in the current climate.
Fresh concerns over the councils senior officer pay amounts dished out to its officers came after its been revealed that pension contributions paid to the councils top six officers totalled just over £100,000 for the last reported financial year, with calls for councillors to review the pension contribution payments made to senior officers in what many say is “excessive” for such a small unitary authority, with calls for the payments to be reduced.
HBC's Chief Executive Denise McGugkin netted the highest amounts of Pension Contributions paid to her in the last reported accounts available to view online of £19,215, taking her salary combined to just over £174,000.00 a year...
The councils chief solicitor & director of public health, who's salaries are the same all received £11,348 in pension payments, taking their salaries to £102,866 per year .
Total remuneration to the councils seven most senior officers reportedly cost the local tax payer £910,000.00, with claims this will exceed the one million pounds a year threshold again next year, as increasing senior salaries & pension contributions pile further pressure on the council to justify its huge spending on its top officers...
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