New chief executive at Northumberland County Council set to pocket £199,000 salary

Dr Helen Paterson has been recommended to take over as the new chief executive of Northumberland County Council, following the long and bitter dispute that led to former boss Daljit Lally leaving this summer.

A report now confirms that Dr Paterson will be offered a £199,000 annual pay packet – plus an extra £12,145 for every election held in which she acts as returning officer.

Dr Paterson is currently in charge of Walsall Council and was previously director of children’s services in Sunderland.

Her proposed salary would be the second highest of the North East’s council chief executives, behind only County Durham.

Cllr Georgina Hill, an independent for Berwick East, said the £199,000 rate was “an eye-wateringly high salary from an administration who have recently been posturing as friends of the taxpayer”.

She added: “Some would say that if the new chief executive manages to turn the council around then it would be cheap at the price.

"However, neither myself nor anyone else from the Independent Group were involved in the interview or selection process so it is currently difficult to do any value for money or other meaningful assessments of the merits of the appointment or the justification for such a large salary.”

The council said Dr Paterson’s proposed pay was “unanimously agreed by a cross party group of councillors and was made in an open and transparent way”, and that it had been set based on market conditions, the scope of the job’s responsibilities, and advice from independent experts.

A spokesperson added that it was “comparable with the current market rate for a large, rural county council”.

The council said: “It is of vital importance that we are able to attract the right person with the right skills and this rate of pay reflects the level of experience, responsibility and expertise required for the role.”

It emerged earlier this year that the council was paying 20 top-earning employees more than £100,000 a year – more than any other authority in the North East.

Meanwhile, all County Hall staff were recently offered the chance to apply for voluntary redundancy, under measures to combat a predicted £12m budget overspend.