I'll order party to vote against giving me pay rise, says Derby City Council leader Paul Bayliss
THE leader of Derby City Council says he will instruct his ruling Labour party to vote against proposals that could see him get a pay rise of up to £11,220.
Councillor Paul Bayliss currently receives just under £40,000 a year in allowances and says a 20% increase is not appropriate during the economic downturn.
But he added that council leaders did deserve salaries of £50,000.
Mr Bayliss said: "The leader of Derby City Council has been an undervalued position for some time.
****Best Deals**** Van Insurance for 17-24 Yr Old Drivers - Contact Insure365 on 01782 898188
Terms: 1 Voucher Per Customer
Contact: 01782 898188
Valid until: Friday, July 19 2013
"Certainly, I think the leader is worth £50,000 but I think, in the current climate, it would be wrong for the leader of the council to take a 20% increase in salary.
"But we need to be clear about laying down a marker that £50,000 is about the right amount."
The proposal that leaders of the council should get more cash has come from its seven-member Independent Remuneration Panel, made up of experts from the business, legal and human resources sectors.
Group chairman Ian Samways said his fellow members unanimously agreed the leader was "undervalued financially".
He said: "Any reasonable person who knows about local government would know that the leader's position is a full-time job. I remember one leader of the council once told me he believed that the position carried more power than an MP – and MPs get paid £70,000 or £80,000."
The panel's report says Mr Bayliss has had to "resign from other commitments" because of the amount of time the role takes up.
It says an increase in the leader's pay would not mean spending more taxpayers' money.
The £11,220 would instead be freed up from another proposal to halve allowances given to other councillors for being vice-chairmen of the authority's six commissions which scrutinise its plans.
Councillors are set to make a final decision on whether to change the current allowances and, if so, how much of the £11,220 the leader should get, at a meeting in May.
Mr Samways said the vice-chairmen were paid too much for the job they do.
He said: "It's only if the chairman is unavailable that they do anything extra beyond being a member of the commission."
Councillor Harvey Jennings, vice-chairman of the council's adults and public health scrutiny board, said a reduction to the allowance he received for the role would "not bother" him.
But he said: "It's difficult to persuade young professional people to become councillors if there's not a career progression. You're not going to do it unless people are remunerated properly."
He said that, if the £11,220 was to be saved, it should "go back into the public purse".
INTERNET USERS VOCAL
AFTER the Derby Telegraph first published how the Independent Remuneration Panel wanted the leader of the city council to get more money, online readers logged on to our website, thisisderbyshire.co.uk, to vent their frustration:
One, with the username crazygal, said they were unsure why the leader deserved a pay rise when council employees had not had one in years.
They said: "His [proposed] pay rise would be better spent on struggling departments or services."
OllyB1 sent a message to say "he should feel lucky his wages aren't performance-related".
User Coyote sarcastically added: "Let's take money off the sick and disabled ........... and waste it."
WillCroft3 said the up-to-£11,220 figure the leader could receive was "in itself, more than a year's wages for many people in this city".
And website user Derby_born said: "Take a pay cut, Mr Bayliss, just as you have effectively forced a cut in income for the poorest citizens of Derby."
19 Comments
View all
by stanvax
Thursday, February 28 2013, 6:21AM
“No fan of Mr Bayliss - but fair enough.Those of us who criticise should be prepared to applaud him when they do the right thing.”
by Derby_born
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 10:41PM
“Spindon, "wonga.com" utter tripe and you know it! The gard fact is that those on the lowest incomes will now be paying the highest percentage of their income to maintain high wages amongst the ruling class in Derby.
As I said previoysly, Councillor Bayliss should take a pay cut to show us he is concerned about rusing costs.
Here is the truth about the council's refusal to accept a grant in favour of increasin council tax.
http://tinyurl.com/d9e5fbo
"Cllr Sarah Russell (Labour cabinet member for finance) repeatedly blamed the government. Why not accept responsibility for your own budget? This is Labour's budget for Derby.Firstly, the council have not accepted the government grant that would enable it to freeze council tax. Over the last few days I have heard Labour's leadership calling it a 'pay day loan'. This implies that the government payment is a 'loan' not a 'grant'. It does not have to be paid back. Accepting this would have helped the pockets of Derby's residents. Instead of launching a smash and grab raid on them. Accept the grants while they are available – Makes sense!"”
by allinfairness
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 9:34PM
“To be fair, the man should only be applauded for doing the right thing in the current financial climate.”
by spondon
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 8:13PM
“@Derby_born; So you are advocating a government version of Wonga.com for Derby? Come along don't be so silly the whole idea is ridiulous and a gamble with the cities finances.
You also say that"There are no solid guarantees that there will not be any need for further freeze" Do you seriously think that with the pound being down rated and the triple dip resession dragging along the bottom of the market that the chancellor has any shred of credibility left in the city. The policy of Austerity is not working and you will still be trotting out the government's silly nonsense as the depressions deepens to even greater depths.”
by Derby_born
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 6:45PM
“@ Spondon, the fexplanation of the freeze grant is pure labour spin, look at the facts, itvwould have held off a need to increase tax for another year. Some liken ut to a "payday loan" but we are going to be paying back 13 years of Labour payday loans for a long time to come.
There are no solid guarantees that there will not be any need for further freezes,, but I for one can see how the poorest people in our society should not be made to pay for public service pay deals that will give public figures a far better standard of living than they could ever hope for.”
by make_redgreen
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 4:06PM
“Ah, I know what's gwan here.
From the 'Fly on the Wall' transcripts:
Bayliss Vice Pals: Er, there appears to be talk of us giving you £2k a year, that's not right is it old pal, tallyho?
Bayliss: Ha and guffaw, it's a ploy my fellow deviants, I'm going to get the panel members to vote against.
BVP's: But what about your raise?
Bayliss: Oh, don't worry about that old chaps, I'm going to also say I'm worth it, like David Ginola. That way you'll get to keep your £2K's and I'll get my rise next year and we'll be in it like pigs in...
All: Mwahahahahaha.”
by spondon
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 3:43PM
“@Derby-born; Just for clarity, the Impact of accepting the freeze grant - the freeze grant provides equivalent to 1% of council tax income. This income is only provided for two years which means that in 2015-16 the income would drop out and Derby city would need to make additional savings.
A freeze would create a future financial black hole of over a five year period) - equivalent to wiping out Derby's already very limited ability to support the voluntary sector or provide community centres and the community alarm service.
So Derby-born accept the government offer of a temporary bridge to a bigger deficit in the future. Not a very smart move is it ? Rather like putting a sticking plaster on a gaping hole in bucket/budget. Just the sort of jolly jape Messrs Cameron and Osbourne would pull off down at the tuckshop before they trashed it of course.
Incidentaly you seem to have drifted well off the non story of a possible pay rise which would be refused if it was offered and hasn't been as yet.”
by Wafty
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 3:42PM
“Am I being cynical in thinking that this story has been 'managed' - yesterday it was reported that Bayliss was being recommended to get a rise (to pretty much universal criticism). Today, he states that he will be turning it down in the hope of looking like a 'good guy'. It may be completely innocent, but in that case, why didn't he announce yesterday that he'd be rejecting it?”
by Derby_born
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 1:01PM
“@Georgiesmum, this Council refused a governmnt grant that would have eliminated the need to demand 20% of the Council tax from the poorest, they could have accepted this money in place of charging the poorest a percentage of the tax.
Don't forget that it was the last Labour Government who left us with no money, as their outgoing Treasury Secreatry said, "sorry there's no money left".
@Digitina, good to see that you disagree with Labour's policy of investing money in private industry, however the investment with Balfour Beatty is actually central government funding to regenerate the economy.”
by Derby_born
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 12:04PM
“@ Spondon, take a look at any communist state, the political elite and party members take everything whist the peasants starve, that is the basic principle of Socialism, Derby city council gave decided that the poorest in our society should pay towards the cost of keeping the political elite in the manner they have been accostomed to.
Do not forget that the public sector does not keep the economy running, they depend entirely on the output from the private sector to maintaintheir pay and benefits.”