Top People's Pay
The Times reports that the salary of Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has been increased to £144,687 which is more than the Prime Minster, David Cameron, and the London Mayor, Boris Johnson.
But the big laugh is that last year the chief executive of North Lanarkshire Council, Gavin Whitefield was paid even more than these three individuals - £147,000 including his bonus payment for 'good' performance.
Now there's something wrong with top people's pay if you ask me, when the senior official of Scotland's fourth largest councils paid more than Boris who answers to 11 million Londoners, Nicola who as well as being an MSP speaks for 5.5 million Scots and David who as the chief executive of UK PLC represents the interests of 64 million UK citizens.
Nicola, by the way, does not take her full salary (along with other ministers in the Scottish Parliament) and in practice is paid £135,605 which means that she is paid less than North Lanarkshire's chief executive.
So I hope Gavin Whitefield feels suitably embarrassed on the day that North Lanarkshire Council is finally living up to its obligations on equal pay.
Nicola Sturgeon awarded higher salary than David Cameron
Pay rise would give first minister Nicola Sturgeon biggest salary of any UK politician including prime minister and Boris Johnson
Nicola Sturgeon’s officials have played down the significance of the pay rise, saying Scottish ministers were still enforcing a voluntary pay freeze introduced under Alex Salmond in 2008. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA
By Severin Carrell - The Guardian
Holyrood has voted through a pay rise for MSPs that would give the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the highest salary of any politician in the UK.
The Scottish parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to increase basic salaries for MSPs by 0.7%, pushing the official overall salary for Scotland’s first minister to £144,687 – outstripping the prime minister’s overall pay of £142,500 and that of Boris Johnson, the London mayor, who earns £143,911.
However, Sturgeon’s officials played down the significance of the pay rise, pointing out that Scottish ministers were still enforcing a voluntary pay freeze introduced under Alex Salmond’s leadership in 2008.
That meant Sturgeon’s overall pay would remain at £135,605 since she will continue voluntarily repaying the £8,306 difference, putting that sum into general public spending along with all other SNP ministers.
The 0.7% pay increase gives all 129 MSPs a salary of £59,089. It means Scottish ministers will now have an official pay package of £103,495. Carwyn Jones, the first minister of Wales, receives £134,722.
The official pay rise came into effect after MSPs voted to decouple their pay rises from the salaries of MPs at Westminster. Under the legislation that established the Scottish parliament in 1999, MSPs’ salaries were pegged at 87.5% of the pay given to MPs.
The decision to decouple MSPs pay from Westminster is designed to distance Holyrood from the controversial proposal to push up MPs pay by 10% to £74,000 as recommended by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority – a decision that has already been rejected by UK party leaders.
If any pay rise for MPs and ministers of 1.6% or higher were implemented by the House of Commons, that would end Sturgeon’s status as the highest paid politician in the UK. MPs, pay is already due to rise by 1% in April, to £67,731.
A spokesman for the Taxpayers Alliance Scotland said: “At a time when the public finances are so pressed, it’s deeply troubling to see MSPs taking home a pay rise. They need to have the moral authority to make tough decisions on spending.”
By Severin Carrell - The Guardian
Holyrood has voted through a pay rise for MSPs that would give the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the highest salary of any politician in the UK.
The Scottish parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to increase basic salaries for MSPs by 0.7%, pushing the official overall salary for Scotland’s first minister to £144,687 – outstripping the prime minister’s overall pay of £142,500 and that of Boris Johnson, the London mayor, who earns £143,911.
However, Sturgeon’s officials played down the significance of the pay rise, pointing out that Scottish ministers were still enforcing a voluntary pay freeze introduced under Alex Salmond’s leadership in 2008.
That meant Sturgeon’s overall pay would remain at £135,605 since she will continue voluntarily repaying the £8,306 difference, putting that sum into general public spending along with all other SNP ministers.
The 0.7% pay increase gives all 129 MSPs a salary of £59,089. It means Scottish ministers will now have an official pay package of £103,495. Carwyn Jones, the first minister of Wales, receives £134,722.
The official pay rise came into effect after MSPs voted to decouple their pay rises from the salaries of MPs at Westminster. Under the legislation that established the Scottish parliament in 1999, MSPs’ salaries were pegged at 87.5% of the pay given to MPs.
The decision to decouple MSPs pay from Westminster is designed to distance Holyrood from the controversial proposal to push up MPs pay by 10% to £74,000 as recommended by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority – a decision that has already been rejected by UK party leaders.
If any pay rise for MPs and ministers of 1.6% or higher were implemented by the House of Commons, that would end Sturgeon’s status as the highest paid politician in the UK. MPs, pay is already due to rise by 1% in April, to £67,731.
A spokesman for the Taxpayers Alliance Scotland said: “At a time when the public finances are so pressed, it’s deeply troubling to see MSPs taking home a pay rise. They need to have the moral authority to make tough decisions on spending.”
