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Councils should put details of chief executive pay and pensions on their websites, SOLACE president, Trish Haines, has urged. As the economic crisis deepened, and senior officers were faced with an increasing number of Freedom of Information requests on their pay and pensions, councils should be more open and transparent on the issue, she said. Speaking at the SOLACE annual dinner in London last week, Ms Haines – who is also chief executive of Worcestershire CC – said: ‘We have to be careful we don't get into a situation where we are appearing to defend the indefensible.' ‘One of the options we have been discussing is trying to be – and appear to be – less secretive about routine publishing of salary details and pension schemes.' She asked for views from SOLACE members about publishing these details on their websites. Last month, the-then shadow communities secretary, Eric Pickles, claimed councils were paying senior staff too much, and compared them with Premier League football team managers. Local government minister, John Healey, has also criticised the ‘unacceptable' rises in salaries, and claimed he would soon introduce rules to ensure chief executives disclosed their pay bands. But, he fell short of dictating rules from central government. Speaking in the media, Mr Healey said: ‘The level of disclosure at the moment is well short of what is required for civil servants'. And he added: ‘They have got to be able to justify their pay and perks, and there should no longer be the rewards for failure which we sometimes see.' According to figures from the Taxpayers' Alliance, 818 council staff were paid more than £100,000 in the financial year 2006-07. Those singled out included Newham LBC chief executive, Joe Duckworth, on £240,000 and Suffolk CC chief executive, Andrea Hill, on £218,592.

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WHITEHALL

Come clean on top pay says SOLACE

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