Wolverhampton Council considers £32,000 rise for 'underpaid' chief executive

Wolverhampton needs to find more cash to pay its top executives or risk a brain drain
-Credit: (Image: Surrey Advertiser)


Wolverhampton’s top officer could be in for an salary hike of £32,000 if a new pay deal is approved. The city council is set to debate a report highlighting how chief executive Tim Johnson’s pay is lower than comparable authorities which means there is a risk he may leave.

To catch up, the council will need to boost pay according to the report’s authors, local government recruitment specialists Penna, who put forward a range of proposals. A report for a full council meeting on November 6, said: “Penna’s report sets out the challenging conditions that continue to face local government in terms of recruitment and retention – it is therefore important the council continue to develop and attract high quality talent.

“It is imperative that we have a fair and competitive offer to ensure we have the right people in the right roles delivering for our city.” After a survey of local authority executive salaries, Penna placed Wolverhampton at the bottom of the league for top pay among Black Country councils.

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The city’s highest earner only trousers between £167,000 and £178,000 compared to bankrupt Birmingham where the highest pay grade ranges between £207,000 and a whopping £312,500. According to Penna’s research the level of council chief executives pay is struggling to keep up with their equivalents in health boards and trusts, who can earn up to £275,000 based on figures from 2022, while the top dogs in multi-academy education trusts earn more than £200,000 with some pay as high as £300,000.

All public sector pay for top earners is dwarfed by the private sector where the median salary for the top 100 FTSE companies is an eye-watering £3.81m. Councillors will discuss executive pay as part of a debate on the Our Future programme of reform which includes the loss of a number of senior executive jobs.

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Any increase in the chief executive’s pay would be funded by the removal of the role of deputy director of transport which would save the council £103,000.