The MJ last week offered a helpful look at senior pay and showed how chief executive salaries have slipped in real terms.
The demands on the chief executive role have grown rather than shrunk, and councils need to recognise the weight and complexity these leaders carry. But the picture doesn't stop at the top and the effects of pay compression are shaping the wider market.
From a recruitment perspective, we see more hesitation among talented directors and assistant directors about stepping into roles that carry statutory responsibility and greater scrutiny. The demands of these roles have increased, but the conditions around them haven't kept pace. This doesn't take anything away from the significance of the chief executive role, but highlights how the structure beneath it is under strain.
There is a genuine talent shortage in several fields, reinforced by the number of people pausing before moving into the roles that traditionally prepare them for executive leadership.
These are experienced, committed officers who care deeply about the work, but the balance between pressure, expectation and reward is shaping how they think about the next stage of their careers. Others are choosing different paths earlier on, so councils are missing out on people who might once have grown into senior posts.
Local government re-organisation adds another layer of challenge. Fewer organisations and larger, more complex authorities will demand deeper leadership capacity at a time when many senior officers are approaching decisions about retirement. The pipeline needs strengthening, not thinning.
Next May's elections might also bring further uncertainty around senior pay. And, as pay debates show, national messages can collide with the practical need to appoint and retain strong leadership. That tension is likely to grow, not shrink.
If councils want resilient leadership through reform and challenge, the environment needs to encourage people to step forward, not step away.
Greg Hayes is a director at Tile Hill Executive Recruitment
