Hackney Council paid director over £200k per year

Details of senior staff pay, published on the council’s website, did not include the Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Regeneration prior to his departure. Photo: Hackney Citizen

A senior council interim director cost £207,480 to employ over the past year, Hackney Council has admitted.

It estimated the post would have cost approximately £177,000 including National Insurance and pension contributions, if it had been made permanent.

A council spokesperson said: “…the interim director has successfully bid for and secured over £58 million in Government funding to build more than 800 new affordable homes across Hackney. At the same time, he has helped exceed a three-year Greater London Authority (GLA) target for affordable housing delivery, including   57% of family-sized (three-bedroom or more) social rented homes, above the London target of 42%.”

Steve Douglas worked as interim Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Regeneration, a position which ceased to exist after 31 March 2011 when the department’s work came under the control of Health and Community Services and Housing. He continues as director of the housing, regeneration and development consultancy, DouglasWood.

The revelation comes amidst government plans for all senior council staff salaries above £100,000 to require a public vote of approval by councillors. It is not yet clear how such a system would work in boroughs such as Hackney which have an elected mayor. A council spokesperson said that the council is “awaiting further guidance from central government about how these proposed powers will be provided to councillors and applied on a local level in Hackney.”

The council says it has made a 25% reduction in the number of chief officers and savings of around £1m. Details of senior staff pay are published on the council’s website. These include twenty six positions on £80k+, five of whom earn over £100,000 a year. The position of Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Regeneration was not on the list (prior to his departure).