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Ten £90k directors for Cheshire East

by Pete Bainbridge
20/ 8/2008

THE FOUR senior officers leading the new Cheshire East council could have a further ten directors supporting them – each with a salary of £90,000 – an "MBC employee" has claimed.

Town Hall were tight lipped about the official rate of pay for officers in the next tier of management at the unitary authority, but confirmed "there will be something like ten directors".

A source claiming to be a MBC employee, who would not give a name, told the Express this week: "I have heard the directors, under the three strategic directors in the new authority, will each be paid around £90,000 a year."

The tip-off comes after it was revealed in last week’s Wilmslow Express that the Cheshire East corporate management team, including the chief executive and three strategic directors, will cost the taxpayers £674,560 a year.

The Cheshire East unitary authority will come into effect next April.

A spokeswoman for MBC said: "We are starting at the top of the management structure and working our way down, so we don’t know at this stage exactly how many directors there will be under the strategic directors.

"The strategic directors will certainly want to give their input into the next tier of management, as will the chief executive.

"Once those posts are filled they will look at the next level. There will be something like ten directors, but we have no idea what salaries each will receive at this stage."

On the other side of the county, Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority will have a chief executive and six strategic directors rather than the Cheshire East structure.

The Cheshire West and Chester directors – for resources, regeneration and culture, environment, children and young people, community, and adult services – will each be paid salaries between £90,000 and £108,000 a year.