Tories plan to axe costly council chiefs

DOZENS of town hall chiefs on six-figure salaries could lose their jobs under Tory plans to shake up local government, it was reported today.

The head of a larger local authority could take responsibility for a smaller town hall, scrapping the need for two chief executives. The plan is being pushed by shadow communities secretary Eric Pickles and would be based on changes in his local area.

The Brentwood and Ongar MP has seen Brentwood council remove its chief executive in March and pays Essex county council £30,000 a year to share top official Joanna Killian. Areas which could see pooling of resources include childcare, benefits and council tax. Town hall pay has been cast into the spotlight as many chief executives now earn more than Cabinet ministers.

Joe Duckworth, chief executive of Newham, is said to have a renumeration package of £240,000, and 800 town hall officials were paid in excess of £100,000 a year, according to a TaxPayers' Alliance report. A Tory source added: "There is super-inflation of pay that bears no correlation to the level of services."

To encourage sharing of resources, town halls could keep a greater share of council tax.

The Local Government Association has defended the pay of chief executives, saying they are below those of individuals running businesses with a similar sized budget in the private sector.