Cllr Peter Freitag seeks senior officers' pay cut

2.09.18pm GMT Wed 10th Mar 2010

THE top earners at Darlington Borough Council should take a ten per cent pay cut to help the authority get through the recession, says Lib Dem councillor Peter Freitag

Peter called for the chief executive and directors to review their own wages before making cuts to services.

Last month, cabinet members rubber-stamped cuts worth £4.7m in the budget for the coming year, which included the loss of 41 jobs.

"I'm concerned that these high-paid officials are not willing to give up anything," he said. "If they gave up ten per cent of their salaries it would save a lot of money. They would be doing something that even the bankers are beginning to do.

"There needs to be a whole management structure review. There are managers with only one person under them.

"Budgets are tight at the moment, why don't we look at those who earn more than £80,000 a year. Some earn more than £150,000. The public sector is often paid much more but delivers much less than the private sector. They want to make cuts, but they are looking at the wrong end.

But that's the way it always happens. The people in charge of cutting are not going to cut themselves."