THE number of staff at Southend Council earning more than £50,000 a year has risen by almost a fifth.

The Echo can reveal 122 employees were paid between £50,000 and £95,000 in 2009-10, compared to 103 in 2008-9.

This comes at a time when the council’s lowest paid workers are on a pay freeze, angering union members.

Claire Wormald, Southend branch secretary of Unison, representing local government workers, said: “It concerns me, when we see our ordinary members on a pay freeze and effectively having their pay cut.

“There does seem to be a disparity and lack of equality with how we are dealing with the cuts at this time.

“We are seeing the highest paid benefit during this time of recession and lowest-paid bearing the brunt.”

Meanwhile the highest-paid have seen their pay rise with chief executive Rob Tinlin receiving a total of £184,209, including pension contributions, compared to £179,098 in 2008-9.

Mr Tinlin’s basic salary last year, £143,883, has remained the same, but the increase stems mostly from a rise in performance-related pay.

In total, six top directors received basic salaries over £100,000. This rises to eight workers when payments like pensions and performance-related pay are included.

All corporate directors received higher pay, in terms of basic salaries and total packages, over the year.

The figures, available on the council website, are in Southend’s statement of accounts for 2009-10 and pre-date the cuts inflicted on local authorities since the May general election.

Mr Tinlin said the figures were historic because they are last year’s and included performance-related pay from the year before that.

He said all senior management, including himself, voluntarily reduced their performance-related bonus last year and completely froze it this year.

Mr Tinlin said: “In the last 12 months, their rise has been less than that of the rest of the staff. Effectively, they have taken a pay cut. This year, we have also frozen senior managers’ salaries to reflect the situation.”

Mr Tinlin said this would not be reflected until next year’s figures for 2010-11.

He said: “We just did it and haven’t waved our flag about it.”

Mr Tinlin said the rise in staff earning between £50,000 and £95,000 was probably due to standard pay increments.

Spending on councillors rises

COUNCILLORS have been paid a total of £664,377 this year, including travel and food claims.

The total has risen slightly from the year before, up from £660,835 in 2008-9.

The amount includes the basic allowance given to all 51 councillors – £8,302 – plus extra money for special duties and expenses claims.

The highest-paid councillor is Tory leader Nigel Holdcroft.

As leader he receives a special allowance of £33,209 on top of his basic rate.

However, Mr Holdcroft did not claim any expenses from the council.

The councillor with the most expenses was deputy leader and fellow Tory John Lamb, who claimed £2,193.

Mr Lamb said his job involves him travelling long distances across the country and insists he is good value for money.

Other high claimants were also members of the Tory cabinet, who get paid a special allowance of about £10,000 to reflect their extra workload.

In 2008-9, several councillors did not accept their basic allowance, but none declined it in 2009-10.

Total expenses claims have actually decreased from £12,777 to £10,524, but basic allowances went up from £419,007 to £433,111.

The basic allowance is set to rise by £100 next year, but claiming for food and travel in Southend will be scrapped.

The amounts claimed and paid to councillors were revealed in the council’s statement of accounts.

* Find out how much your councillor claimed in today’s Echo.