Bristol mayor's salary set to be same as an MP - £65,738 a year
Bristol mayor George Ferguson is expected to receive the same pay as an MP - £65,738 a year.
An independent panel which was set up to consider the mayor's annual salary recommended the amount to a council meeting in September.
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George Ferguson
But councillors decided to delay a decision until after the mayor was elected.
They will consider the issue again at a full council meeting on Tuesday.
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Mayoral salaries up and down the country range from £53,151 to £81,029 although two-thirds of them receive between £60,000 and £69,000.
In the run up to the mayoral election, Mr Ferguson was asked for his views on how much he should receive.
He said he would accept what councillors agreed to pay and made clear he would want to be paid in Bristol Pounds - the new local currency which was introduced in the autumn to help independent shops and traders.
After he was elected, Mr Ferguson was asked by the panel for his views on pay.
He replied: "City mayors are worth properly rewarding because of the intensity of the job, the high level of responsibility and positive contribution they make to the prosperity and welfare of the city."
A report by the panel says: "The elected mayor holds office independently of the council and has greater powers vis-à-vis the council in that they only need the support of one third of the councillors to get budgets and policies approved.
"The potential for an elected mayor to utilise the 'soft power' that comes from being elected on a city-wide mandate and high visibility can put the elected mayor in a very strong position.
"The most common comparable post utilised by other reviews of remuneration for elected mayors is that of Westminster MPs, whose salary of £65,738 is also the median remuneration for the 15 English elected mayors currently in post.
"To remunerate the elected mayor at the same level as the current leader is not a viable option as it would mean the elected mayor of Bristol would be the lowest paid elected mayor in England and does not meet the 'fair fit' test."
The council leader, a post which no longer exists now that a mayor has been elected, received about £52,000.
Mr Ferguson's three cabinet members are recommended to receive £21,000 on top of their basic allowance of £11,416, giving them a total of nearly £33,000.
Comments
by GanjaCrew
Thursday, January 10 2013, 10:38PM
“he should cut his wages. simple”
by PattersonG
Thursday, January 10 2013, 6:10PM
“Erratum: local elections in 2010, not 2012”
by PattersonG
Thursday, January 10 2013, 6:08PM
“There seems to be a lot of confusion here by what is meant by 'voters' ie. those whoe vote, and 'electorate'; those eligible to vote. Remember Gary Hopkins had a more significant electoral turnout at the local elections in 2012 than George did for Mayor. He had a turnout of 65% at the last and had a greater proportion of the vote 49%.
All The whiners about Gary Hopkins should remember that whatever your view of him he has a stronger democratic mandate to be a Councillor than Ferguson has to be Mayor. He's also in at least his second term so Knowle have made a clear choice on who they want to represent them in a way that Ferguson has yet to achieve.
People should bear in mind that they have a stronger voice in the democracy through their choice of councilor than their choice of mayor.”
by J12345678
Thursday, January 10 2013, 3:37PM
“@Phurr
The joke in Bristol for decades has been the tribal nature to local politics where one side blocks almost every proposal from another till it's their turn. Voters were asked if they wanted the same or a change and clearly opted for the mayoral system and then George.
Best not to moan about absolute majorities as they don't happen in elections these days, from unions to general elections. People are fed up with self-serving politicians and wasteful vanity projects. The LibDems are crumbling locally and even Labour voters didn't support Marvin strongly enough.
I'd love to see more independents for Bristol once we see what sense George brings.”
by Bristol1978
Thursday, January 10 2013, 2:51PM
“by Phurr
"My opinion is the majority of voters in Bristol never wanted a mayor and about 11% voted for Gorgeous George"
The majority of voters DID want a mayor. A majority of 5152.
The 76% of people that chose not to vote made a conscious decision not to register an opinion either way.”
by smoosername
Thursday, January 10 2013, 2:50PM
“That last sentence should have been:
Trying to guess how all the people who couldn't be bothered to vote in either election would have voted, is simply guess work at best.”
by Phurr
Thursday, January 10 2013, 2:50PM
“@ DM totally different job, I don't mind paying our respresentives well, but they have to be accountable for their actions.”
by Bristolrabbit
Thursday, January 10 2013, 2:50PM
“I can't profess to know much about local party politics and I didn't vote for Bristol to have a mayor. However, once it was decided that Bristol would have a Mayor, I voted for George. My rationale? An apolitical Mayor had to be better than someone with a strong party attachment (yes I know George has been involved with Lib Dems in the past - haven't a lot of us swayed from one party to another at various times?) Someone 'independent' and someone who would cut the cr*p with certain decision making and just get on with doing things - Hallelujah to George's decision to stop the Rapid Transport System carving up our Historic docklands - a fantastic family and tourist area. If we have to have a Mayor then the £65,738 salary doesn't seem that much to me for all the responsibility the job will bring - it's considerably less than a G.P. and most senior management in secondary schools probably earn at least that!”
by smoosername
Thursday, January 10 2013, 2:49PM
“Hi Phurr - "My opinion is the majority of voters in Bristol never wanted a mayor and about 11% voted for Gorgeous George"
While the voting system we have is by no means perfect, especially with low turnouts. The only thing we can say for certain is that more people wanted a Mayor than didn't and that more people wanted George than other candidates.
Trying to guess how all the people who couldn't be bothered to vote in either election is simply guess work at best.”
by Richard34
Thursday, January 10 2013, 2:49PM
“Well worth every penny!
Life of an MP for the Bristol area is sounds far more attractive. No budget cuts to worry about, no tough decisions, luxury living accommodation all paid for in London, coffee shops, party in the park and cosy meetings. Visit the constituents now and again, make it as publicly known as possible and wonder every day how life led one to a job this great!”