The Isle of Wight Council has come under fire from one of its members for not paying its staff enough that they can have ‘a reasonable quality of life’.
A new pay policy has been approved for staff, as it is every year, amending clauses for the coming financial year, including changes to car parking allowances, severance pay and the new learning system within the council.
Figures in the policy show the highest-paid staff member of the Isle of Wight Council, in December 2020, was £132,358 but the lowest was £18,380.
The average salary of a council worker was £27,825 — over 4-and-a-half times lower than the highest-paid officer.
Senior managers can also earn over £100,000, according to the framework of pay grades.
At full council last night (Wednesday), Councillor Geoff Brodie said it was ‘very illuminating’ that the majority of workers were in the grade 4 bracket (earning between £19,184 and £19,698). He said:
“The council do not address the issues that are presented to them.
“Surely it is the duty of the Isle of Wight Council, as a significant employer, to pay a salary to people who work for them, who we all think the world of and have given accolades to during the Covid pandemic, and be doing everything we possibly can to enhance their salaries — make sure people can have a reasonable quality of life and perhaps be able to get some security of tenure in the housing situation.”
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Cllr Brodie also questioned whether it was appropriate senior officers’ salaries ‘had increased so much’ under the Conservative administration, when he recalls the chief executive earning less than £100,000 ‘not so long ago’ and argued while that goes up “low paid staff continue to be relatively low paid.”
Cabinet member for corporate resources, Cllr Brian Tyndall, said he thought it was a very fair graph — showing the distribution of council staff over pay grades — and that he had no issues with it. He said:
“I would suggest if Cllr Brodie went to any major business, who had the number of employees that this council does, the spread would probably be the same.”
Cllr Tyndall also said the graph did not include part-time employees which ‘may change’ things.C
The fat cats always get fatter it is part of this so called equal society where those at the top get double % figure pay rises and those at the bottom get thrown the scraps if they are lucky or made redundant if they complain.
It’s the same everywhere.especially now most of us are on furlough.
Like the opposite of Robin Hood. Rob the poor to make the rich richer.
What the betting that our council tax will go up the same as the council workers pay rise.
Why are the council so out of touch with the inhabitants of the Island.
If we sacked the top six council employees what difference would it make to the running of the council?
We also have to remember that every pay rise to the council comes with an increase into their
pension pot. Which at the moment represents approx 15% of our council tax.
Why also does the council get reduced parking, their jobs are no less or more important than anybody else.
We must ensure we choose far more carefully next time. These are the worst EVER.
Amen to that Mrs marks
What does the council give the rate payers in return for their rates,not much?
Well they give us so much they are excellent at wasting money eg the push me pull me non floating bridge
The new roundabout at St Mary’s and cuts to services, price hikes to our council tax ,and they are obviously working v hard to come up with excuses as to why they need to inflict this rise on us !!!!
Do they realise the average Joe public have lost jobs and those on furlough get less oh and the general cost of living etc etc still has to be found you can’t get blood out of a stone !!! So perhaps they should crawl under one .
So not a single one on minimum wage and all this coming from tax payers. Its a crime. They should all hang their heads in shame.
Something or someone should be hung .
Maybe this year all council members should take a good look at themselves and ask if they really did the best job they could for the island and islanders safety.
If they ran a building site in the same manor they’ve run this island over the past year then there would be so many lawsuits against them.
You all have been a disgrace and do not deserve such pay packets.
Lives have been lost due to your incompetence and greed.
I guess a dead person doesn’t give you rewards like a new housing estate.
Enjoy your lives councillors as so many islanders now can’t, as they’re DEAD!!!
Vote them out next time. YOU owe it to all the wildlife, animals and beauty these idiots will destroy for their financial gain. Don’t leave it to others, DO IT
Alas if they asked themselves a question by the time they answered it they would probably have had another pay rise !
You must be joking try being a cleaner that has to work all through this pandemic in high risk areas for £8.72 an hour, I’d be happy with half the amount they get a month. Bills, food and council tax all rising more than my wages ever will
Ah but you forget they have a right to the high life (mmmmm) us mere mortals are only here to line their pockets feather their nests )
Love to see how they cope on minimum wage champagne and take aways off the menu !
“I would suggest if Cllr Brodie went to any major business, who had the number of employees that this council does, the spread would probably be the same.”
REALLY? Also if he went to any major business that operated at a large deficit, and made catastrophic investments like the floating bridge ferry, that business would have gone bust, and wouldn’t be paying anyone anything. And its not the Grade 4 employees making those decisions is it?
Perhaps the greedy ‘business leader’ now running this Isle so poorly, will, on such a large salary now be able to put workers on the books in his establishment this coming Summer season in their ‘private business’ concerns in Ryde?
One hopes so, as it is unfair on us and other small businesses in competition.
IF someone does this in private affairs, IMAGINE what occurs behind the scenes with public money of millions. Business leader, talk about making up a Poacher to Gamekeeper.
Perhaps we should remember that the OAP’s get a fraction of the £27,825 that the average council worker gets but still has to pay Council/Police tax.
state pension, rent benefit, council tax benefit, free prescriptions, free bus pass, discounts on ferries etc…think OAP’s in this country aren’t too hard up and then of course some have cash saved up, as well as private pensions.
obviously some have leeched off the state their entire lives and just slid from JSA to state pension – so they get what they deserve…as little as possible.
They won’t want it because their tired won’t have time to spend it .their lowest paid get more than a lot of the NHS staff . Shame on them.
With many services dumped on the ever more expensive town councils. Why do we still have so many highly paid people on the county council.
Bring in performance related pay then they wouldnt get a sausage
I think as they are meant to represent us, we should decide how much they earn and it would be far less for the shambolic way they treat us, like others have said we must vote them out!
Vote with your feet people. Greed and short sightedness runs through the veins of these councillors here. Really and truly we all should be given a tax break or a substantial refund…?! 2020 was a right off.There are so many people on the breadline. Wakey wakey Councillors