Council bosses to get pay rise.

Byline: ERYL CRUMP 

SENIOR officers at a cash-strapped North Wales council are to receive more money.

But Gwynedd councillors, meeting in Caernarfon yesterday, agreed to phase the additional payments over a two-year period.

A proposal to reject the plan completely was defeated.

The council faces pounds 16m in budget cuts over the next three years.

Under the planned pay system, some officers would see their salaries rise by up to pounds 7,000 a year.

Proposing approval of the plan, council leader Dyfed Edwards said the move reflects changes to the top jobs.

He said: "This recommendation is based on an independent pay review that has considered the duties involved and compared the work with similar posts.

"The consequences of this are to set a pay policy for this level of officer. The total cost is pounds 41,000."

Mr Edwards added if the council did not address the issue there was a real possibility contractual problems could arise.

"There is a possibility of a legal challenge since we have changed the job description of officers and their contracts. Legal challenges are also possible on the basis of equal pay as there are women presently undertaking the same tasks as men but are being paid less," he warned.

The move was attacked by Cllr Gwilym Euros Roberts, the staffing portfolio holder.

He said he had been willing to propose the recommendation when it was outlined last month.

"Fast forward a month to the beginning of October and the council announces that it wants to close five schools, make significant cuts to the voluntary sector budget, increase the price of school meals by pounds 1 a day ... factors which, in my opinion changed everything," he said.

He added: "I feel adopting a policy that will see increased salary levels at the highest level whilst we are also having to make tough decisions regarding cuts such as school closures and increased charges for care is being unwise and insensitive.

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