£20,000 pay rise for council’s chief officer

There has been no pay review since 2019

The lowest paid district council chief executive in the county is to get a pay rise of nearly £20,000.

North Devon Council has not reviewed its chief officer’s pay since 2019 and wants to bring it in line with other similar local authorities.

The salary is currently £104,000 with the average CEO in the county getting £125,000.

The council’s governance committee agreed that the new salary for boss Ken Miles should be £122,000 a year, rising to £129,000 in April next year.

It follows a review of the chief officer and deputy chief officer’s salaries, which has included independent advice and evidence from the Local Government Association.

The post of deputy chief executive and director of resources – currently held by Jon Triggs – will rise by around £1,000 to £89,000 and go up to £94,000 by April next year.

Mr Triggs is not the lowest paid deputy in Devon but his salary is considered “comparatively low” with the rest of the country.

Council leader David Clayton (Lib Dem, Barnstaple with Westacott) said it had to “bite the bullet” and that previous administrations had not made the increases because it is a hard decision to make.

East Devon District Council’s chief is the highest paid CEO in the county, with North Devon’s boss paid 34 per cent less. East Devon’s population is around 55,000 more than North Devon’s.

Torridge pays its top employee more than North Devon but its deputy less.

CIPFA (the UK-based professional body for public sector finance) data shows the North Devon chief executive receives the least on a list of comparative councils across the country with the head of South Holland District Council in Lincolnshire being paid the most, with an annual salary range of £159,000 to £175,000.

The difference between the boss’s pay and that of the lowest paid employee is also smaller in North Devon than at other councils.

Governance committee members were told they needed to consider the post not the person and set the salary to retain officers and attract future ones. Pay should also reflect the level of responsibility.

Cllr Helen Walker (Lib Dem, Bickington) said if councillors didn’t follow the reports’ recommendations and had to replace the top staff they would not be able to offer a competitive salary.

Cllr Peter Jones (Ind, Witheridge) said the £20,000 pay rise “felt uncomfortable” but the salary needed to be in line with other authorities.

The committee also supported changing the spot salary to a range to encourage progression in both the chief and deputy roles.

Staff appraisals will also be brought in.

The council’s strategy and resources committee will need to ratify the decision.