Fact Service February 2011

Issue 6

Pickles wants staff on over £58,000 named

While chancellor George Osborne is signally failing to increase the transparency over banker’s pay, his counterpart at communities and local government, Eric Pickles, wants local councils in England to publish details of every member of staff earning a salary of £58,200 or more.

The proposal comes in a consultation document on the code of recommended practice for local authorities on data transparency. The “consultation” lasts just over a month from 7 February to 14 March.

According to the consultation, the coalition government is “committed to extending transparency to every area of public life”. Councils are now expected to publish details of every item of spending of over £500.

Pickles has also “challenged them to go further by giving easy open access to data on salaries” and has proposed a threshold of £58,200 to apply to senior salaries in local authorities.”

According to the consultation: “The department will take account of the responses received to this consultation. A summary of responses and the final code will be published at the same time.”

www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/1829193.pdf