The decade after the financial crisis has seen many front line public sector and most private sector employees receive below inflation pay rises, with many suffering years of stagnant earnings.
Not so for those at the top of City Hall, delivering value for money from the public purse is of no barrier for their earnings. The TaxPayers’ Alliance have published their City Hall Rich List 2020 which reveals:
- 654 people employed by the GLA and its subsidiary bodies in 2018-19 received more than £100,000. 154 received over £150,000.
- Transport for London alone has 518 employees on over £100,000. With 114 on more than £150,000.
- 28 employees received remuneration in excess of a quarter of a million pounds in 2018-19.
Taxpayers have to fund this on top of all the other costly burdens of living in London., with the Mayor having increased the band D council tax precept by just under nine per cent in 2019-20.
London taxpayers are paying Limousine prices for what all too often turns out to be a Reliant Robin service from City Hall. This is on top of the burden from London’s Borough Councils. Croydon Council employs more than 23 staff on over £100,000 a year. Hardworking Taxpayers need a fair deal that protects them as well as rewards staff.
We know the economy has taken a serve hit from Covid 19 and the lockdown. We ask that City Hall and its subsidiary bodies share the burden with those who pay their wages. We think it’s reasonable to ask that no new employee in the Metropolitan Police, Greater London Authority, London Fire Brigade or the Mayoral team, be paid more than the Prime Minister. Those in post were employed in good faith and must retain their salaries, but surely it is not unreasonable in these troubled economic times to say a Deputy commissioner in the London Fire Brigade or a Transformation director in TFL does not need to be paid more than the person running Britain!
We calculate that if this were already the case, just capping the salaries of the top 20 highest paid staff in TFL would save over £3.9 million a year. A good start to helping council tax payers.
TaxPayers’ Alliance full report – https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/city_hall_rich_list_2020
Coverage in South London Press – https://pages.pagesuite.com/5/b/5be8a065-97de-4289-ae5e-fa5db3d8aed6/page.pdf
Article main image: Daring Donna