Six officials at Perth and Kinross Council earned a total of nearly £670,000 for just one year’s work, figures compiled by a campaign group have revealed.
Outgoing chief executive Bernadette Malone banked £135,121 in 2016/17, according to figures released by the Taxpayer’s Alliance - £5180 more than the local authority’s unaudited accounts say she took home in 2015/16.
The same paperwork explains Ms Malone’s remuneration in 2016/17 included a fee of £4833 for acting as returning officer for the Perthshire North, South and Kinross-shire constituency elections two years ago and doing the same again for the EU referendum the same year for another fee of £3038.
The second best paid member of PKC staff in 2016/17 was John Walker, its depute chief executive and chief operating officer who left last year due to ill health. He received £128,500 - a whopping £18,353 more than he got in 2015/16 - again according to the council’s unaudited accounts.
Meanwhile its senior depute chief executive, John Fyffe, was paid £116,627 in 2016/17 - a mere £1155 more than in the previous year - and its other depute chief executive, Jim Valentine, was paid £111,248.
Lastly the local authority’s head of finance, John Symon, and its head of legal and governance services, Lisa Simpson, both earned £87,890 in 2016/17, taking the total earned by all six officials that financial year up to £667,276.
In comparison, elsewhere in Tayside chief executive of Dundee City Council, David Martin, was paid £151,874 while Richard Stiff, chief executive of Angus Council, was paid £127,250.
Other high earners across Tayside included three strategic directors at Angus Council who got £107,644 each and Dundee City Council’s executive director of corporate services, Marjory Stewart, who got £113,624.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, commented: “Disappointingly, many local authorities are now responding to financial reality through further tax rises and reducing services rather than scaling back top pay.
“Despite many in the public sector facing a much-needed pay freeze to help bring the public finances under control, many town hall bosses are continuing to pocket huge remuneration packages, with staggering pay-outs for those leaving their jobs.
“There are talented people in the public sector who are trying to deliver more for less, but the sheer scale of these packages raise serious questions about efficiency and priorities.”
