H&F over-paid its Chief Executive - Government

Geoff Alltimes: Because he's worth it

Our Council has been criticised by none other than big beast Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Local Government, for over-paying the now departed Chief Executive Geoff Alltimes.

Mr Alltimes, who was already one of the highest paid council heads in the UK, was given an £11,000 pay hike the year before he retired to take his pay to £281,000.

When he retired last year, he was awarded a tax free lump sum of £250,000 - yes, that really is a quarter of a million pounds - and was given a good old sing song out of the door, with a further £7,000 of your cash so he could have a posh party. At the time our Council protested on this blog that, rather like their other very highly paid consultants, that he was worth every penny.

Our MP raised the issue yesterday in Parliament with Mr Pickles, who in the past has heaped praise on H&F for its tax cutting prowess. Here is the exchange: 

Andy Slaughter: The chief executive of Hammersmith and Fulham recently retired thanks to a pay rise of £11,000 last year, which took his salary to £281,000".

"The library calculates that he will get a pension of £100,000 plus a tax-free lump sum of £250,000. When the borough is cutting Sure Start by 50% is this a good use of public money?"

Eric Pickles: "I am sure that the answer is no."

Realising the fact that this would be picked up on he then hurredly added:

"I am very pleased that the level of chief executive's remuneration has dropped by 14%. I am very pleased that 25% of all (council) chief executives have taken a voluntary cut".

"But I am also pleased that Hammersmith and Fulham, currently for the fourth year running, are reducing their council tax."

So that's OK then.