Lambeth housing boss tops pay league

Last week Lambeth council met to pass £37m cuts with up to 1,000 staff facing the sack.

 But Inside Housing can reveal that its chief housing officer, Sue Foster, earns £9,690 more than Prime Minister David Cameron, £17,625 more than Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and £53,450 more than Housing Minister Grant Shapps.

Ms Foster received the highest pay of all senior housing officers across 20 English councils surveyed by Inside Housing.

We also found that senior housing officers pay has increased at a faster rate since 2009, than their junior colleagues.

The survey followed Mr Pickles’ announcement that he would force local authorities to publish the salaries of all staff earning over £81,000

Inside Housing conducted the survey, to find out how many councils already publish the data.

We also wanted to find out whether the pay of senior housing officers has increased since 2009 when the Taxpayers Alliance published its Rich List of council employees earning over £100,000.

Over half the councils surveyed already publish details of their senor staff pay online.

St Helens Council publishes the full job description, budget and staffing responsibilities of Bob Hepworth, its director of regeneration and housing.

Mr Hepworth said:  “This news comes as no surprise. 

“For years the council has been transparent and open in all of its services.  

“As a top rated authority we are proud to deliver excellent services underpinned by a value for money ethos,” he said.

The survey found that there are a third fewer senior housing officers now than in 2009.

But more have responsibility for departments beyond housing, such as social services, environment and planning.

Average pay for senior housing officers has increased by 3.7% since 2009, compared with a maximum 1.25% increase for most local government workers in that time.

Ms Foster was the highest paid housing executive surveyed, earning £152,190 a year since her appointment as executive director of housing, regeneration and environment by Lambeth Council last November.

This places her ahead of David Cameron, Eric Pickles, Grant Shapps and the other most senior housing officers in the councils we surveyed, who averaged £131,865.

When asked to comment, a Lambeth Council spokesman said: “We pay the going rate for that post, in line with other inner London boroughs”. 

He said we would need to know the salaries of all executive directors in inner London, their responsibilities and salary bands, to make an accurate comparison.. 

“People are paid according to experience.

“You are trying to compare apples with pears”, he said.

Heather Wakefield, head of local government at UNISON, said: “People have a right to know what those at the top are earning at all councils, from both a staff and local democracy point of view.

“Transparency is especially vital at a time when low paid local government workers are being hit by pay freezes and job cuts.”

Emma Boon, campaign director of the Taxpayers Alliance, said: “Local councils should now be publishing details of all staff earning six figure sums or more. 

“Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent and more transparency will enable residents to hold local authorities to account. 

“It is a real shame that it looks like some councils aren’t being open and publishing pay as they should be.

“They should change this as soon as possible.”

 

This article appeared in Inside Housing magazine on Thursday, March 3, 2011.