CONFIRMED - Malvern Town Clerk to get 36 per cent pay rise after salary proposals are backed - The Malvern Observer

CONFIRMED - Malvern Town Clerk to get 36 per cent pay rise after salary proposals are backed

Malvern Editorial 24th May, 2016 Updated: 20th Oct, 2016   0

UNDER-FIRE Malvern Town Council has defended a controversial move to increase town clerk Linda Blake’s salary by 36 per cent, which will see her earn £60,000 a year, by claiming salary benchmark proposals had been ‘long overdue’.

The authority has officially confirmed to the Observer that the salary benchmark increases, which also sees other administration staff get significantly higher wages, will begin from immediate effect after they were given unanimous backing at an emergency staffing committee meeting last Thursday.

This followed a six-month review of the salaries allocated to council staff.

In a lengthy statement, the town council said: “This process was long overdue, as none of Malvern Town Council’s administrative roles had been reviewed in this way for more than five years.




“A review of operations staff pay had taken place last year following the town council’s reorganisation in 2014. And it was only correct that a review of the council’s administrative staff should follow.

“The Town Council values its excellent staff as an important resource, and is committed to ensuring that they are fairly paid for the work they do.


“The Staffing Committee’s benchmarking exercise clearly demonstrated that staff salaries had fallen behind those paid to equivalent roles at similar town councils elsewhere in the country – an issue that the council, as a responsible employer, needed to address.”

Mrs Blake’s salary increase is to be made up in two separate parts. The salary for the post of Town Clerk will increase to £48,000 per annum (an increase of £4,000) with a further £12,000 to be paid because the clerk will additionally be carrying out the position of Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) – a position which a council is obliged to have.

The statement added: “This RFO role includes producing the council’s management accounts, year end accounts, financial returns and completing other statutory accounting requirements

“The similar-sized councils that were benchmarked paid their town clerks far in excess of what Malvern Town Council was paying, despite the fact that the positions did not always fulfil the RFO role.

“The elected councillors agree that Malvern Town Council is, therefore, in very safe hands.

“Additionally, if Malvern Town Council had to employ another member of staff to complete these accounting duties, the increase in costs would be significantly above the revised salary that the town council has agreed for the current Town Clerk.”

The leaking of the pay increase led to the resignation of town councillor David Houghton-Smith who said the hike was the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for him.

He told the Observer: “I have been unhappy for some time regarding decisions the council has made and the proposal to raise the salary for the town clerk by 36 per cent to £60.000 was the final nail in the coffin.

“It is going to cost the taxpayer more like £70.000 when you add on extra N.I and pension costs.

“I joined the council to improve public facilities and not to impose greater administration cost. And they should all be ashamed for even thinking of doing that.

“Come on council, wake up and do what the public expects of you.”

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