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The mayor of Newham has hit out at criticism of the £240,000 a year salary of the borough's chief executive. Sir Robin Wales challenged the Sunday Telegraph newspaper for highlighting the salary paid to Newham LBC head, Joe Duckworth, which topped its survey of 111 chief executives. The survey has come under fire from senior council leaders for failing to make comparisons with salary levels in other public sector organisations, or with private companies with comparable budgets and staff levels. Newham has population of 260,000 and is one of the UK's most ethnically-diverse and deprived areas, and will be a key venue for the 2012 Olympic Games. The council spends around £500m a year on services, and employs 13,000 people. Sir Robin pointed out: ‘This is a highly-complex job with huge responsibilities, and should be paid accordingly. ‘Similar sized jobs in the private sector would be paid much more. As local authorities, we are responsible for ensuring that taxpayers' money is spent wisely and our residents get the services they want and need. ‘We take this responsibility seriously, and to achieve results, we need to attract the best and brightest people to deliver high-quality services.' Research by the LGA has shown the average chief executive salary is just £106,176 a year, compared with £133,435 for an NHS Trust; £257,500 for a finance company employing more than 200 staff; £426,000 for a FTSE 250 company; and £700,000 for a FTSE 100 company. LGA chief executive, Paul Coen, said: ‘Chief executives employed in local government are the lowest paid when compared with private and public organisations with comparable turnover and staffing levels.'

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FINANCE

Newham mayor defends salary of chief executive

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