The chief executive of Somerset Council, Duncan Sharkey, along with his most senior officers, will receive a backdated pay increase following councillors' formal approval. This decision aligns with the National Joint Council for Local Government Services' recent agreement on pay rises for local authority executives.
On July 23, the joint council agreed on a one-year pay increase of 3.2%, which is below current inflation rates. This increase is set to be backdated to April 1, 2025, with no further reviews planned before March 31, 2026.
Somerset Council has now implemented this pay adjustment for its leadership team. One councillor characterized the increase as “not a huge award,” emphasizing its modest scale in the broader context.
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Initially, the council’s February budget had accounted for a 2% pay rise for the chief executive, executive directors, and service directors—a change costing approximately £83,600. However, the approved 3.2% increase increases the total cost to £121,400, with the additional £37,800 drawn from the council’s reserves.
As of April 1, 2024, Duncan Sharkey earned £206,870 annually. With the new raise, his salary will rise to approximately £213,500 per year. Executive directors' salaries, previously ranging from £132,225 to £153,750, will increase to a maximum of around £158,670. Senior directors' salaries, which were between £102,500 and £120,950, will now see the highest earners surpass £124,000 annually.
Due to Somerset Council’s current decision to opt out of national pay negotiations for chief executives, these salary changes required approval at an extraordinary meeting of the council’s human resources committee, held on September 9 in Taunton.
Michelle Anderson, the council’s employer relations manager for HR policy and practice, clarified, “The pay award is in relation to a cost of living payment – we don’t operate a performance-related pay award.”
Councillor Sarah Wakefield, portfolio holder for adults’ services, housing, and homelessness, expressed frustration about the need for a special meeting but acknowledged the modesty of the increase, stating, “It’s not a huge award, quite frankly. It might be different if they were saying everybody had to have a ten per cent increase, and we thought that was too much.”
The committee unanimously approved the pay increase in under 15 minutes.