More councils should set salary benchmarks to avoid over-paying at the senior level, says a recruitment expert. Writing in The MJ this week, Kate Harper, head of research at Tribal, says chief executives' salaries have risen by as much as 33% in the past year, with heads of service topping £100,000, but says these are the maximum and adds: ‘We often get clients who ask us to benchmark their salaries and expect us to come back and say they should raise them to match the market maxima. They are often surprised when our conclusion is their pay is competitive.' In an autumn report on chief executive pay, the Audit Commission said pay had been driven up by lack of supply.