Strathclyde to approve pay rises of up to 48%

(First Edition)

SCOTLAND'S largest regional authority, Strathclyde, is expected to give final approval next week for salary rises of up to 48 per cent to chief officials.

Its personnel committee is almost certain to follow the ruling Labour group which unanimously approved what it claimed was a 'self-financing package' of salary rises that will total pounds 1m.

The increases, which average 20 per cent, affect 104 department heads. It is expected that 20 of them will have to be persuaded to take early retirement or redundancy. The leader of the Liberal Democrats on the council, Dr Christopher Mason, said that the decision implied that 20 per cent of the officials, who were thought to be useful, 'were now apparently unnecessary'.

The leader of the Conservative group, Iain Drysdale, said he hoped the chief officers would have the good sense to refuse the increases. However, the prospect of that happening is remote. The education director will see his salary rise from pounds 68,163 to pounds 88,200, a 29.3 per cent increase. Slightly lower rises are on offer to the directors of finance, roads and social work. The directors of cleaning and catering will get 48 per cent increases, to pounds 77,175.

Although no new money will have to be found, the proposed increases will do little to improve the council's public image. Council leaders defended the increases by claiming they would now be expecting greater effort from their chief officials.