The ”high salary” of the first fire chief of the new Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, who will earn more than the Prime Minister, has been condemned.
The post attracts an annual salary of £165,000 plus pension, a car allowance and relocation expenses, and is advertised as being ”one of the top fire jobs in the UK”.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will have a workforce of around 9,000 firefighters and the chief officer will initially be based in Perth, ”in the heart of the country”.
However, the salary topping that of Prime Minister David Cameron, who earns £142,500, and First Minister Alex Salmond, at £135,605, has been heavily criticised.
Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives and MSP for Mid Scotland, told The Courier the salary ”seems high in these times of austerity”.
He added: ”Taxpayers will be amazed at the level of salary of this new position when so much pressure is on families and household budgets.
”It’s disappointing that no effort has been made to recruit someone to this position at a more affordable level of remuneration.”
Robert Oxley, campaign manager of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: ”The new Scottish Fire Service chief will have to take some tough decisions to find savings.
”To maintain the moral authority to make those choices, the new chief should take a pay cut from their incredible pay packet.
”There must also be no repeat of the previous pay-off debacle that cost taxpayers a fortune.”
However, a spokesman for the Scottish Government defended the salary, stating that the role is ”an important job” and the money paid is ”comparable to key appointments in the country”.
He added: ”The chief fire officer will have a workforce of more than 9,000 firefighters and support staff, with accountability for a multi-million-pound budget and responsibility for ensuring the safety of the people of Scotland.”
The new role is set to reduce ”duplication of support services” and ”sustain frontline services”.
The advert for the post states: ”The chief officer will be a person of exceptional calibre with proven strategic management and Gold Command experience with a comparable organisation… Candidates will be able to demonstrate advanced people management and leadership skills.”