Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
James Robinson

Number of highly paid officer positions at Northumberland County Council slashed from 20 to 15 to save £1m

The number of highly-paid council officers in Northumberland has fallen significantly after a wide-ranging review, according to leading councillors.

Northumberland County Council has been criticised in recent years for the number of highly paid interims in senior positions receiving a salary of more than £100,000 a year.

Figures recently released by think-tank and lobby group the Taxpayer's Alliance revealed that 23 employees were on remuneration of more than £100,000 in the 2021/22 year - the second year in a row the council had the most employees receiving that figure in the North East.

Read more: Dad of teenager who drowned on night out welcomes life-saving throw-bags along River Tyne

However, a new senior management structure - agreed at Tuesday's meeting of the authority's staff and appointments committee - will see that figure drop to just 15. It comes after council leader Glen Sanderson pledged to cut £1 million from the council's wage bill last year.

The changes will see the senior management structure, consisting officers at the third and fourth tier of the council's officer teams, brought in line with the new executive director structure brought in earlier this year.

Speaking at the meeting, deputy leader Coun Richard Wearmouth said: "I'm really grateful to everyone who has engaged with this process. No structure is perfect for everybody but I think this is as close as we will be able to get to.

"Driving value for money goes to the core of what we're trying to do, it's important to the taxpayer. This structure does save a significant amount of money and limits the amount of people receiving £100,000, which is important to the taxpayer."

Coun Wearmouth added that the remaining 15 officers filled "very important roles".

Coun Sanderson said he was "confident" the council would achieve its goal of making £1 million in savings from the wage bill. The proposed new structure will save the council a maximum of £421,000, according to a report presented to members.

The plans were unanimously agreed by the committee. Following this, chief executive Dr Helen Paterson said she would deliver a presentation to affected staff after the meeting.

Read next:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.