Monday, November 24, 2008

Ocracy outgoings (II)...

I thought the latest Public Sector Rich List would make an appropriate follow-up to the post below re government spending and to the oncoming-oppression post below that. The list is published via The Taxpayers' Alliance and has some startling (to me at least!) figures.

Here are the Key Findings from the TPA website:

  • There are 387 people receiving remuneration packages of £150,000 or more a year across 140 government departments, quangos, other public bodies and public corporations, up from 300 people on the 2007 Public Sector Rich List. (Note that this excludes local government, who are published on their own TPA Rich List every March. The 2008 Town Hall Rich List identified 88 people earning over £150,000 a year.)

  • There are 4 people in the public sector who earn more than £1 million a year, up from 1 person earning above £1 million last year.

  • There are 21 people in the public sector earning above £500,000 a year, up from 17 on last year's list.

  • There are 88 people earning above £250,000 a year, up from 66 on last year's list.

  • There are 194 people earning more than the Prime Minister, whose salary is £189,994, up from 142 on last year's list.

  • The 387 people on our list had an average pay rise of 10.9%... This is three times average earnings growth (including bonuses) across the country, which is currently around 3.5%

  • The average total remuneration of the 387 people on the list is almost £240,000 per annum. This works out at over £4,600 a week...

  • The 10 most highly paid people in the public sector earn almost £1 million on average...

  • The report features a list of the top 10 rewards for failure, including highly paid officials from HMRC (which lost 25 million people's personal data); the Financial Services Authority (which presided over the worst financial crisis since 1930); Northern Rock; the QCA and other organisations which have failed the public.

  • The report includes a list of 10 people working for the three bodies responsible for regulating the financial system – the FSA, the Treasury and the Bank of England - who have overseen the financial crisis. Their remuneration packages average almost £400,000 per annum.

  • A special list is also included of 24 executives who have presided over embarrassing losses of personal data over the past year. Their average remuneration package was over £190,000 per annum."
Read the full report here (PDF).

Bookmark and Share

4 comments:

Paul said...

I was discussing this situation with a colleague yesterday before the pre-Budget. If the Conservatives get into power (okay when) their first task will be to cut public spending, surely the first place to start will be the Civil Service. All other businesses have had to adapt, modernise, change - whatever you want to call it - whilst government at all levels has continued to expand without check. There's a great local story down here where one of the Town Councils has recently advertised for the post of Senior Executive - the pay on offer is the equivalent of £4 for every council tax payer, the completely bonkers thing is that so far there has been only one letter published attacking the plan. This is a Conservative controlled council by the way just to prove that madness is all around us.

Too many jobs for the boys in all walks of politics whether it's Quangos, retired MP's etc. When I started in Accountancy 31 years ago we had four typists producing accounts, today thanks to the development of computer software we don't employ any - we've made progress why can't the Government of the day?

Span Ows said...

Funny old world! If Labour continue to be so poor then it will be a Conservative win and the cutbacks will remind many of the Thatcher days...CS cutbacks, sell-offs where possible, cut spending and Bob's your uncle "nasty Tories" again...That said I think a change is desperately needed and to be honest DC and GOGO may just do a decent job...trouble is there's still a lot to get paid off...waht a fucking cock up, I now begin to see why some people HATE the mighty and great Margaret because I now HATE Gordon Brown...I know you won't believe me but I hate all politicians that are wankers, now that covers all of New Labour obviously but some of the Conservatives and most Lib Dems etc. Councils are even worse...there are very few people about these days that actually do their job to make things better, no, they just do their job to get paid and get power.

Paul said...

I don't know if I've posted this before but my Mum's Dad was a councillor just after WWII and he always maintained that the quality of councillors changed when claiming expenses came in, he said that up until that point people became councillors because they really wanted to help but after that they saw it as a way to boost their income. Having worked for two councillors and two mayors I can say that not all of them are the same and some do work very long hours for little financial reward but too many people see politics as a career rather than the opportunity to make a difference.

Anonymous said...

Can't remember you saying it before but it rings true (CV9 at least on Shytalk's scale...hehehe) Councillors used to have 'respect'...that no longer exists.