The number of top earners at Dundee City Council is rising even as the local authority prepares to axe jobs to make £28 million worth of cuts.
The council revealed this week that it will need to make cuts of £28m over the next two years but 166 people earned more than £50,000 last year up from 148 the previous year.
Finance convener Willie Sawers has warned that no services will be spared as part of the savings and said job losses may be inevitable although the council will try to reduce its payroll through voluntary redundancies.
But it has now emerged the number of staff earning more than £50,000 a year rose by 18 between 2013/14 and 2014/15.
Corporate services director Marjory Stewart was the top earner, taking home £105,251 over the course of the year.
Former chief executive David Dorward, who retired last November, earned £97,789 while his successor, David Martin, earned £45,136 for the first five months of his tenure as chief executive. Mr Dorward earned £134,067 in 2013/14, his last full year as chief executive.
The biggest increase in high-earning staff numbers came in the bracket of those with salaries between £65,000 and £69,999.
Twenty people received a salary in that range last year compared to just 10 the year before. The council’s total outgoing on salaries rose from £559,087 to £565,090.
Now Labour group leader Kevin Keenan is calling for councillors to be given power over the local authority’s recruitment of senior officers.
He has written to chief executive Mr Martin asking for a sub-committee to be formed to provide “political oversight” of the recruitment process.
Jim McFarlane, Dundee branch secretary for local government union Unison, said previous rounds of redundancies and mergers of departments meant the council has fewer staff earning six-figure salaries but greater numbers of middle-management.
A council spokesman said: “The chief executive will respond to Councillor Keenan directly in due course.”