Complaints over 'filthy streets' as Lancashire council splashes out on top earners

-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


The number of top earning senior staff at an East Lancashire local authority has risen ‘exponentially’ by almost a third. The figure was given to Burnley’s Full Council meeting by opposition Labour group leader Mark Townsend as he called for a review of senior management posts.

He proposed the move as Wednesday’s meeting on Wednesday night approved the appointment of a new £64,404 head of property and facilities management after the council took back in house four key services from outsourced provider Liberata.

Cllr Townsend backed the new post but said: “The public are always sceptical when you are adding to a management team when we have people complaining on our streets about how filthy they are, the grass isn’t being mown etcetera. So it’s important that we are getting value for every pound that we spend.

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“The report is OK but it doesn’t fully justify the position in the wider context of everything else going on in the council. Have we looked at all the other positions in the council?

“The latest published 22/23 accounts detail how many senior management posts we have earning more than £50,000 a year which is a good salary for this area. In 2022/23 there were 12 posts in total in the council earning over £50,000 per year.

“At a rough estimate that was costing the council for all those posts with some on costs on top – pensions etcetera – just under a million pounds a year. Twelve months later and accepting this post tonight, going into 25/26 in April that 12 will have increased to 17 earning over £50,000 a year at a cost of £1.2million.

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“That’s an increase in management costs of 20 per cent in just 12 months. Why has it increased exponentially?

“So I think we need to have a management review of senior posts within the council. It might well come back and say everything is OK, we’re getting best value, it’s highly efficient.”

Council leader Cllr Afrasiab Anwar said: “Not so long ago we had an independent peer review that said we were a well-run council and that the leadership team run a tight ship. I think this amendment is disrespectful to our senior staff.”

Resources boss Cllr Margaret Lishman said: “This isn’t the right way to do this. The implication is there that this council is top heavy and that we’re not delivering on front line services,

“In the fullness of time I have no objection to reviewing what the senior management team looks like. To do it in this manner is insulting to our staff. I do not think that we are top heavy.”

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