Six of council's senior directors set to get pay rise

Herefordshire Council chief executive Paul Walker could get a 3.5% pay rise

Six of Herefordshire Council’s senior officials are set to get a pay rise, council documents have revealed.

The authority’s chief executive Paul Walker would see his pay go up 3.5% to £164,848, while five others will also get a 3.5% rise.

The recommendations form part of a pay proposal scheduled to go before the authority’s employment panel on Monday.

The report said Herefordshire Council was committed to fair pay "determined by a robust and objective job evaluation process".

If approved, directors for children Darryl Freeman, community wellbeing Hilary Hall and economy Ross Cook would each take home £139,465.

Director of governance Claire Porter and director of resources Andrew Lovegrove would receive salaries of £114,261.

Meanwhile, the council’s lowest-paid staff would get a 9.25% rise to £22,737.

This would lead to a reduction in the ratio between the council’s highest and lowest-paid employees.

The pay proposal said the authority used a nationally-agreed pay spine as the basis for its pay structure.

The proposed salary increases come as the authority attempts to persuade 100 of its 1,414 salaried employees to retire, in order to cut £4.5m from the wage bill.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.