City Hall’s plans to hire more highly paid execs are ‘an insult’

Published: 29th April, 2011
by JOSH LOEB

PLANS by City Hall to hire yet more highly paid chief officers have been labelled “an insult” by opposition councillors.

Despite claiming to be cracking down on bureaucracy, the council is planning to appoint two further officers paid more than the Prime Minister.

Westminster Labour group leader Paul Dimoldenberg said City Hall was poised to appoint a new “strategic director for regeneration, housing and worklessness” at a salary of up to £138,723 with the potential to progress and earn as much as £181,473.

Cllr Dimoldenberg also criticised plans to hire an interim strategic director at a cost of £1,000 per day for six months, from May to October 2011.

He said: “Why does Westminster need two more highly paid chief officers who are paid more than the Prime Minister? 

“Residents and councillors were told that savings would be made by cutting back on the council’s ­bloated bureaucracy by sharing with neighbouring councils, but this is obviously not what is actually happening. 

“If there is a need for two extra chief officers then why doesn’t Westminster ask the two other ­boroughs to share their existing chief officers and cut the costs for everyone? 

“It really is an insult to all those 3,000 vulnerable adults with moderate needs who have had their care withdrawn to now bring in an interim director of adult care services at a cost of £260,000 a year.”

Westminster City Council leader Colin Barrow said the new strategic director for regeneration, housing and worklessness would play a “critical role” in creating new homes in Westminster and help boost “economic regeneration”.

He added: “The post will be funded out of savings the council has already made through reduced costs elsewhere in the organ­isation.”

He said the interim strategic director of adult services was a statutory role, adding: “We are, of course, acutely aware of the ­current tough economic climate and that is why we have frozen council tax for the fourth year running while over the last two years we have made £14million in efficiency savings.”