More than 30 council staff in Tayside and Fife were taking home six-figure salaries at the height of the recession, it has been revealed.
Figures obtained through freedom of information legislation by the TayPayers’ Alliance and TaxpayerScotland found that there were approximately 145 council employees in Scotland earning more than £100,000 in salary and other benefits in 2009-10.
The figures collected by the TaxPayers’ Alliance suggest 19 Fife Council staff took home more than £100,000 in 2009/10, with the chief executive on over £175,000 once expenses and pension contributions are factored in.
The local authority now says just 10 people are earning six figures a year and all are on a pay freeze.
The Courier revealed last week that Fife Council’s wage bill is now more than £600 million a year, and has gone up by more than £46 million a year over the past five years.
Eight employees in Angus broke the £100,000 barrier with the then chief executive David Sawers earning the most with a total salary package worth £145,285.
His successor, Richard Stiff, receives the same base salary although like all public sector workers earning over £21,000 a year, he is now on a pay freeze.
In Dundee, only the then chief executive earned more than six figures.
Alex Stephen received £129,504 although he has since retired.
His successor, David Dorward, takes home £132,741 a year and is on a pay freeze.’Streets not strategy’Only Perth and Kinross Council’s four most senior officers earn over £100,000 and are all on pay freezes.
Chief executive Bernadette Malone received £121,728 in 2009/10.
TaxpayerScotland director Eben Wilson said public anger has forced councils to begin reducing the pay given to their highest earners.
He said, “People aren’t interested in having a director of strategic planning they want their streets cleaned.
“There are still too many senior officers being paid too much for doing these made-up jobs.”
An Angus Council spokeswoman said the TayPayers’ Alliance’s figures are misleading because they include pension contributions.
She said, “All chief officers are presently on a pay freeze in the same way as lower earners.”
Depute Fife Council leader Councillor Elizabeth Riches said, “It’s important to highlight the TaxPayers’ Alliance report contains details of post holders who received redundancy payments throughout the year-one-off payments which inflated their earnings.
“It also doesn’t compare like with like.
“Fife Council is one of two authorities in Scotland who is also the police and fire authority and provides an assessor’s service, which some other local authorities don’t have within their organisation.”