A SENIOR councillor at Denbighshire County Council has defended the salary and pension paid to the authority’s chief executive.
As reported in the Free Press last week the council’s chief executive Mohammed Mehmet was paid a total of £160,414 last year.
But cllr Paul Marfleet, lead member for modernising the council, says the amount is justified.
He said: “Before agreeing a salary package, we researched the market thoroughly.
“We looked at other CEO packages in the region, throughout Wales and for other similar sized authorities in UK.
“Given the awful position we were then in (Awful Estyn report, damming Corporate Governance report, etc) we were most anxious to get someone who could do the job and turn it round.
“We were very fortunate in recruiting Mohammed.”
The Free Press stated in last week’s paper the chief executive received a pay rise of 21
per cent compared to the previous year.
For the year 2009/10 he was paid a salary of £108,722 and pension contributions of £23,701 making a total of £132,432 for his role as chief executive.
For the year 2010/11 he was paid a total of £160,414, which is made up of a salary - including pay for returning officer duties - of £131,667 and pension contributions of £28,747.
This was an increase of 21 per cent, but Cllr Marfleet says that Dr Mehmet started the job of chief executive in May, so the figure for the 2009/10 financial year is only for 10 months.
Had Dr Mehmet been in the position for a full year during 2009/10, his basic salary would have been £125,000.
“Mohammed is still on £125k,” said Cllr Marfleet, whose cabinet member responsibilities include HR matters.
“His pension contributions are no different than any other senior manager as a percentage of salary.
“The issue of his income from being the returning officer for the region is nothing to do
with Denbighshire, except that the Welsh Government pay us and ask us to administer this element on their behalf.”
The Free Press reported last week Denbighshire’s corporate director for environment received a bonus of £77,427 last year and the chief finance officer a bonus of £55,898.
Cllr Marfleet has now revealed that although these amounts appear under the council’s statement of accounts as “bonuses, benefits in kind and compensation” they were in fact part of a “severance package” when these employees left the council.
“The two elements specifically referred to, were part of a well thought out severance package for two previous managers that was part of a cost reduction plan for the county,” he said.
“Mohammed very quickly undertook a management restructure that substantially reduced the costs.”
The figures for the chief executive’s pay are publicly available to view on the council’s website by searching for their statement of accounts.
Free Press reader Jacqueline Ogbolu thinks local residents should suggest salaries for senior council officers.
She said: “I have thought for some years that the salaries of council CEOs and other heads of departments are generally throughout most of the UK extremely excessive.
“I believe there needs to be a cap on these salaries and they need to be approved by local inhabitants. After all their salaries are paid from the council tax,” she added.
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