Local government minister Brandon Lewis has said councils should not be afraid of paying a good chief executive a ‘good salary'.
Mr  Lewis this week appeared in front of the Communities and Local  Government Committee's inquiry into chief officers' remuneration in an  appearance that had been trailed in the national press as a fresh  assault on ‘fat cat' public officials' pay.
 
 But quizzed by MPs,  Mr Lewis said: ‘If they've got a chief executive doing a good job who  deserves a good salary they should not be afraid of being very clear  about that and why.
