Almost 100 staff trouser over £50k
Rocketing number of high earners at council
Almost 100 staff at South Ayrshire Council are earning salaries of more than £50,000 per year, latest figures have revealed.
The number of high earners at the local authority has increased sharply over the last five years.
And the numbers do not include those staff within the council’s education ranks.
A Freedom of Information Request has shown that, as of March 2017, a total of 53 employees were earning in excess of £50,000.
The figure remained steady through 2020, where a total of 61 staff were included within the pay banding.
But numbers took a steep rise last year, soaring into triple figures at 100.
This year’s latest figures show that a total of 91 employees continue to earn in excess of £50k.
Top earner at the council is chief executive, Eileen Howat, who rakes in more than £150,000 once pension payments are taken into account.
Council bosses have pointed to a pay award in 2021 as the reason for the spike in employees earning the higher rate.
A spokesperson said: “Prior to 2021, the lowest hourly rate that equated to a salary of £50k per year was a level 14 grading at £27.80 per hour.The pay award in 2021 meant that the lowest hourly rate that equated to a salary of £50k per year, became a level 13 grading at £27.63 per hour. As a result, all full time employees who were at the top of a level 13 grading, now fall into the category of earning in excess of £50k per year.”