Pension pots of £1m for City Hall bosses - As jobs axe falls, gravy train shows top five have ‘gold-plated’ deals

Published: 11 March 2011
by TOM FOOT

THE City Hall gravy train was laid bare last night (Thursday) following publication of top council bosses’ staggering pension pots.

Five Westminster City Council officials will retire with “gold-plated” retirement funds of more than £1million. 

Four more have at least £900,000.

In total, £21.2million has been set aside to fund pensions of 25 workers. 

The huge figures come at a time of unprecedented public spending cuts and a plan to axe 450 staff posts in Westminster.

Chief executive Mike More is the council’s highest paid earning £222,642 in wages last year. Finance director Barbara Moorhouse is second top earner at £185,000. 

The average wage for public sector officials in Westminster is £34,000.

There are 34 Westminster Council officials earning more than £100,000 at City Hall. Director of libraries David Ruse, who is overseeing a library closure programme, is paid £103,000.

Final-salary pension schemes for public sector workers may be ended in 2015 and replaced by a scheme based on career average earnings under proposals put forward by government adviser Lord Hutton.

Westminster Council has published details of its executive pay under the banner “How We Work” online.

A statement on its website said: “As part of our complex organisation, officers are collectively responsible for a budget of almost £1billion and for the delivery of hundreds of services in the heart of London. Their efforts have helped us consistently levy the lowest or second lowest council tax in England since the current system of local taxation was introduced in 1993.”

For more information see www.westminster.gov.uk