Review recommends £30k pay rise for council chief

The review suggests a pay rise of just under 20% for Tim Johnson

An independent review is recommending that the City of Wolverhampton Council gives its chief executive a pay rise of more than £30,000.

The change would increase Tim Johnson's salary from £178,152 to £210,000.

The review, conducted by recruitment company Penna, said the salary was "low" by comparison to similar authorities.

It added the current salary was an "immediate and significant risk" to the authority, considering that Mr Johnson was the longest-serving council boss in the region, and there was reliance on his knowledge and expertise in economic growth, and health and care.

The proposed changes would be funded by the removal of another council post, director of transport.

The BBC has contacted the Wolverhampton Labour Group, which leads the authority, and the opposition Conservatives group for comment.

Elsewhere in the Black Country, the pay scale for Walsall Council's chief executive is between £177,802 and £200,487 per year.

At Sandwell Council, that role is paid between £191,475 and £201,825, while in Dudley, it is £191,017.

Birmingham City Council's managing director is paid a salary of £295,000 - 13% more than the previous chief earned.

According to the Local Government Chronicle (LGC), chief executive pay remains "almost static", as more first-time chiefs are appointed "amid increasingly challenging and complex times".

Between 21 July 2023 and 25 July 2024, 44 councils appointed a new head of paid service.

Of the 33 permanent appointments where salary information was available, pay levels increased by 1%, with an average salary of £173,485, the LGC said.

'Strong leadership'

In a report, the City of Wolverhampton Council said the review was to ensure it had a senior management team that reflected "the size and responsibilities of the organisation", and continued to have a "stable, efficient and strong leadership".

Several other changes were suggested, including the removal of some senior management posts, and keeping others vacant.

They include:

• Keeping the role of director of transformation vacant, pending a further review

• Remove the post of director of transport, as a consequence of a structural review within resident services

• Pause recruitment for the role of deputy director of city development, pending a further review

• The creation of a deputy director of governance role

The review added that the financial implications within the report would result in a net saving in the region of £70,000.

The proposed changes to the chief executive salary would be funded from savings from the removal of the deputy director of transport role.