Echo Opinion
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Now let’s not be too catty
IN comparison with purring fat cats on fabulous salaries who lick the cream off their whiskers as they wonder whether to buy another Bugatti, most of us, I suspect, are stray toms with bulging ribs, grateful to pick up the odd fishbone.
I earn a fair salary but sometimes bounce my jaw off the floor when I hear what some lucky so-and-sos are on. I'm talking, for example, about the gross sums paid out to certain TV presenters and football players whose earnings, compared with nurses and firefighters are obscene. And about certain former football managers and ex-company bosses who received plump pay-off cheques for what amounted to failure. (Lie back and think of England and Northern Rock.)
What does not shock me is that Bournemouth council's chief executive earns £121,505. Or that Poole's earns £112,242. Our own incomes may be just fractions of those figures but these council chiefs are responsible for authorities that employ thousands of people and require a competitive reward. Fair enough.
Two things, however, do surprise me. The first is that five officers at Dorset County Council earn in excess of £100,000.
And the second is that Bournemouth's chief executive saw her salary rise by 11.7 per cent and Poole's by 5.3 per cent, which are figures above inflation. Why?
But these things should be kept in proportion. After all, the highest paid public servant, the new chairman of Northern Rock, is reported to be raking in £90,000... a month. Why, even Prime Minister Gordon Brown only earns only £187,000.
Mind you, you have to wonder why the House of Commons is fighting so hard to stop the publication of MPs' expenses.
Could it let the fat cats out of the bag?
7:00am Friday 28th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: 2Much, New Forest on 8:35am Fri 28 Mar 08
"Our own incomes may be just fractions of those figures but these council chiefs are responsible for authorities that employ thousands of people and require a competitive reward. Fair enough." ??...you sure about that Ed, these people might be at the top of a large network, but those networks have line-managers..the fat cats probably don't even know thw names of most of their employees.
There are councilors like this all over the place...it's a ludicrous wage, and not at all justifiable when you have to fight local authorities everyday for funding for necessary things.
If someone earns that money...and the really earn it..then good luck to them...otherwise it's simply greed..and if there's one thing i cannot stand...it's greed.
"Our own incomes may be just fractions of those figures but these council chiefs are responsible for authorities that employ thousands of people and require a competitive reward. Fair enough." ??...you sure about that Ed, these people might be at the top of a large network, but those networks have line-managers..the fat cats probably don't even know thw names of most of their employees.
There are councilors like this all over the place...it's a ludicrous wage, and not at all justifiable when you have to fight local authorities everyday for funding for necessary things.
If someone earns that money...and the really earn it..then good luck to them...otherwise it's simply greed..and if there's one thing i cannot stand...it's greed.
Posted by: John, Poole on 12:28pm Fri 28 Mar 08
2Much
How many executives of private companies employing thousands of people do you know who know the names of most of their employees?!
You don't even know the difference between a Council official and a Councillor, so you are about as qualified to comment as somebody commenting on the private sector, who does not know the difference between a private company owner and a member of staff!
2Much
How many executives of private companies employing thousands of people do you know who know the names of most of their employees?!
You don't even know the difference between a Council official and a Councillor, so you are about as qualified to comment as somebody commenting on the private sector, who does not know the difference between a private company owner and a member of staff!
Posted by: Clarance, Bournemouth on 6:34pm Fri 28 Mar 08
In a monopoly non-competative market where the income is certain from the tax payers - there is no real comparison to the commercial world.
Will fat cats change? Oh yes - they will get bigger!
In a monopoly non-competative market where the income is certain from the tax payers - there is no real comparison to the commercial world.
Will fat cats change? Oh yes - they will get bigger!
Posted by: 2Much, New Forest on 8:31am Sat 29 Mar 08
[quote][bold]John[/bold] wrote:
2Much
How many executives of private companies employing thousands of people do you know who know the names of most of their employees?!
You don't even know the difference between a Council official and a Councillor, so you are about as qualified to comment as somebody commenting on the private sector, who does not know the difference between a private company owner and a member of staff![/quote] John..(don't really understand why you had to fire bullets and make it a personal matter...but not surprised on here that informative discussion is not the norm..just attack!)
Executive company directors may not know all the names of their staff, but surely they've earned that wage, they've worked hard to get to that place in life..and the more they earn..the more goes back into the system. My comment was in relation to the item and was quoted as being a kind of "excuse".
I'm quite familiar with the sectors and how they operate...and everyday i see things that need funding from councils, but don't get it because they don't have the funding to give..and why is that?
John wrote:
2Much
How many executives of private companies employing thousands of people do you know who know the names of most of their employees?!
You don't even know the difference between a Council official and a Councillor, so you are about as qualified to comment as somebody commenting on the private sector, who does not know the difference between a private company owner and a member of staff!
John..(don't really understand why you had to fire bullets and make it a personal matter...but not surprised on here that informative discussion is not the norm..just attack!)
Executive company directors may not know all the names of their staff, but surely they've earned that wage, they've worked hard to get to that place in life..and the more they earn..the more goes back into the system. My comment was in relation to the item and was quoted as being a kind of "excuse".
I'm quite familiar with the sectors and how they operate...and everyday i see things that need funding from councils, but don't get it because they don't have the funding to give..and why is that?
Posted by: John, Poole on 12:54pm Sun 30 Mar 08
2 Much
One reason that councils have insufficient funding is because people like you object to paying taxes and would rather their money, and everybody else's went to line the pockets of stockbrokers, shareholders and business owners in the private sector.Instead of comparing Council Chief Executives' pay with that of the Prime Minister, the Echo would do better to compare it (together with all the other perks - legal or otherwise) with City leeches or the Heads of comparable private businesses.You imply by your posting that Chief Executives have not earned their position. The 'system' that you say the executive company directors put back into, is the one that gives them ever inflated and unfair pay increases!
Credit to you for at least using an appropriate name on this site,i.e. 2Much!!
2 Much
One reason that councils have insufficient funding is because people like you object to paying taxes and would rather their money, and everybody else's went to line the pockets of stockbrokers, shareholders and business owners in the private sector.Instead of comparing Council Chief Executives' pay with that of the Prime Minister, the Echo would do better to compare it (together with all the other perks - legal or otherwise) with City leeches or the Heads of comparable private businesses.You imply by your posting that Chief Executives have not earned their position. The 'system' that you say the executive company directors put back into, is the one that gives them ever inflated and unfair pay increases!
Credit to you for at least using an appropriate name on this site,i.e. 2Much!!
Posted by: 2Much, New Forest on 6:40am Mon 31 Mar 08
Um...where have i said i object to paying my taxes? (although, having said that...fuel tax gets up my nose a bit!)
I'm not a fan of "lining pockets"..i am a fan, however, of people owning businesses as i believe that is good for the economy..or would you disagree with that too?
£100k isn't a lot of money when you consider the mortgage scenario and the cost of living etc...but why the hell should these people earn more than a fire fighter, or a paramedic?
Um...where have i said i object to paying my taxes? (although, having said that...fuel tax gets up my nose a bit!)
I'm not a fan of "lining pockets"..i am a fan, however, of people owning businesses as i believe that is good for the economy..or would you disagree with that too?
£100k isn't a lot of money when you consider the mortgage scenario and the cost of living etc...but why the hell should these people earn more than a fire fighter, or a paramedic?
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