Animal charity chief forced to quit over outcry at £222k salary
THE boss of Scotland’s biggest animal charity quit yesterday amid public outrage over his ‘fat cat’ salary.
Stuart Earley, chief executive of the Scottish SPCA, raked in nearly £222,000 last year – entirely funded by donations from the public.
He quit with immediate effect as insiders said fundraising had taken a major hit because of the row about his earnings, which dwarf Theresa May’s annual salary of £143,462.
Details of his latest inflation-busting pay rise came to light last month, and it is understood Mr Earley came under mounting pressure from the charity’s board to step down.
Mr Earley, who owns a racehorse despite concerns over animal welfare issues associated with the sport, once defended his salary in an email to staff, telling them he did not get the same perks as David Cameron.
The 59-year-old’s remuneration became the focus of public anger over runaway executive pay in the wider charity sector, fuelling concern that vital public funds were being swallowed up by fat cat salaries.
Yesterday Harry Haworth, chairman of the Scottish SPCA, said Mr Earley had ‘decided it is time for a new challenge’. He added: ‘Stuart has been instrumental in the positive transformation of the society over the past nine years and we are grateful for his stewardship, hard work and dedication.’
Mr Haworth said the organisation would begin the search for a replacement chief executive immediately.
One source close to the charity told the Mail: ‘When a chief executive submits their resignation, and it’s accepted immediately, it tells its own story.
‘If you have a situation on the doorstep where people are saying they won’t donate because of the chief executive’s salary, that’s a big problem.’
The Scottish SPCA, which was set up in 1839, is reliant on public donations. It is Scotland’s main animal welfare charity, with re-homing centres across the country.
Mr Earley, who was previously in charge at Deep Sea World in North Queensferry, Fife, was appointed as chief executive of the charity in 2008. He also served on the board of directors until last year. The Scottish SPCA last month confirmed that he had been awarded a pay rise of 2 per cent plus the rate of inflation, taking his basic wage to £190,855.
His pension contributions from the charity more than doubled from £12,950 the previous year to £31,033 in 2015.
John Robins, of pressure group Animal Concern, last month said the size of the pay package left him ‘totally disgusted’.
The campaigner, who earns £26,000 a year, added: ‘It’s nearly £100,000 more than the Prime Minister gets. There’s no justification.’
Scottish SPCA financial documents record a 5 per cent drop in fundraising income between 2014 and 2015.
Mr Earley was branded a ‘fat cat’ last year when it was revealed his basic wage had soared from £160,000 to £185,000. At the same time, the organisation’s rescue centre in Shetland was closed.
The Scottish SPCA was unfavourably compared to the charity Mary’s Meals, which feeds some of the world’s poorest children. It reported a similar annual income of £13million but boss Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow only took a salary of around £34,000.
A Scottish SPCA spokesman said: ‘I can confirm that chief executive Stuart Earley has decided to stand down in order to seek a new challenge.
‘In light of Mr Earley’s decision, the board has agreed that he will step down with immediate effect, allowing him to focus on his future plans and allowing the society to move forward with its own new chapter.’