Councillors to win vote on senior pay, says Pickles

The Communities Secretary has announced plans to amend the Localism Bill so that local authorities must get the approval of councillors when they propose paying employees salaries of more than £100,000.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Eric Pickles suggested the move would mean pay was “democracy proofed”.

The Communities Secretary said: “This is just part of the checks and balances so that it allows every councillor to consciously make a decision with regard to senior pay. It just seems to me to be a reasonable thing to do.”

Pickles’ comments followed research suggesting that 43% of local authority chief executives were paid more than £150,000. The Communities Secretary insisted that the requirement would not apply to head teachers.

He also repeated his claim that the Bill was “one of the most radical pieces of legislation to be debated in this chamber for decades”.