Councillors' and staffing costs revealed in accounts

by EWAN LAMB

The 34 elected members who sit on Scottish Borders Council received remunerations and allowances totalling £687,000 in the financial year 2020/21, according to the authority's newly published annual accounts (unaudited).

So-called 'senior' councillors holding positions of responsibility within the council set-up accounted for £291,364 of that expenditure while SBC's leader Shona Haslam (Conservative) received £35,713 (up from £34,944 in 2019/20. At the same time David Parker (Independent), the council convener was paid £26,785 (£26,208).

The remuneration report for staff shows 261 SBC employees had annual salaries in excess of £50,000 compared to 262 in the previous financial year.

Former chief executive Tracey Logan who left the authority during last year had a pension entitlement of £52,783 plus a lump sum of £80,000. Her full year equivalent salary in 2020/21 would have been £134,397, the accounts document shows.

A month after leaving the council Ms Logan became the sole director of a newly formed company, TM Logan Consultancy Ltd with a registered office in rural Peeblesshire. According to Companies House records the nature of business of the consultancy is "other professional, scientific and technical activities not elsewhere classified".

In her foreword to the accounts Mrs Haslam recognises Ms Logan's work during her time at SBC. The council leader writes: "The former Chief Executive of the Council, Tracey Logan, retired in September 2020 having led the Council since 2011. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Tracey for her dedication to the Council and to welcome our new Chief Executive, Netta Meadows who joined us in March [2021].

The accounts reveal that Ms Meadows' full year equivalent salary would be £128,405. 

The section on remuneration also states: "John Curry took up the role of service director Assets and Infrastructure on September 14th 2020. However, he is paid as a consultant and not as an employee of Scottish Borders Council and is therefore not included in the report".

The latest headcount for the council shows employee numbers totalling 4,992 - 1,295 males and 3,697 females. There are 2,586 full time staff members and 2,406 part-timers. 

An age profile appears to show 61% of the workforce are aged 45 or over with only 4.6% in the 15-24 age bracket.

Since 2017 all public authorities have been obliged to publish details of Trade Union Facility Time. In SBC's case the 2020/21 entry shows 25 staff members are union representatives.

Twenty of them spent between 1% and 50% of their time at work on union duties, two were representing union members for between 51% and 99% of working time while three employees are full time union officials. The percentage of the total council wage bill spent on union facility time is given as 0.096%.