The number of staff earning more than £55,000 at Suffolk County Council has been reduced

THE number of employees at Suffolk County Council earning more than £55,000 has dramatically dropped in the last year, the East Anglian Daily Times can today reveal.

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It means the annual wage bill for the highest earners has dropped from £7m to £5.9m in the past 18 months - and a further £1.4m will be shaved off in the coming months as a further 15 staff prepare to leave.

The authority currently has 64 staff earning more than £55,000 - compared to 77 in October 2010.

When additional costs such as pension contributions and National Insurance payments are taken into account, the total cost to the local authority for its current crop of high earners is £5.9m.

However, by the end of 2011, the number of high earners is expected to stand at 49, taking the total wage bill to an estimated £4.5m.

As some employees only work part time and do not take home the full-time equivalent salary listed against their names, this figure could be even lower than predicted.

The figures from 2010 included the salary of former chief executive Andrea Hill, who has since left and been replaced by Deborah Cadman.

Last night bosses at Suffolk County Council were praised for their efforts in reducing the wage bill.

Jonathan Isaby, political director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s good to see that Suffolk County Council is clamping down on the cost of town hall fat cats.

“At a time when money is very tight both for families and councils alike, people are especially concerned that their hard-earned cash should be spent on essential frontline services rather than on top notch salaries for council bureaucrats.

“Suffolk County Council are to be applauded for identifying senior managers’ pay as an area ripe for finding savings.”

Andrew Cann, opposition spokesman for resources and finance for the Liberal Democrats at Suffolk County Council, also welcomed the reduction but added a note of caution.

“On face value these figures are encouraging and it shows the Conservatives are taking the Lib Dem concerns that we have had for three years about the salary pay seriously,” he said. “However they must be careful to ensure that the mix of talent that they are paying for with those large salaries is correct.”

He said his group were concerned that the county council was pushing forward with privatising services and establishing commercial arrangements that did not represent best value for money.

Jane Storey, Suffolk County Council’s portfolio holder for resource management and transformation, said: “These figures are further proof of the fact that our senior management costs are being reduced.

“As politicians we have to face up to the reality that we have less funding from central government and more demand for services and therefore we have to decide where we save money to balance the books.

“It’s entirely right that we protect frontline services from cuts. That means money has to be saved in the back office.

“Times have changed. As responsible guardians of public money we have to do the right thing by Suffolk’s taxpayers.”