Debate on senior Bexley Council officers' pay rejected

The Bexley Council Monitoring Group, an independent body representing the views of the borough's residents, handed in the 2,219-strong petition last month, demanding salaries be capped at £100,000.

It follows figures collected by BBC Panorama that revealed chief executive of the council Will Tuckley was the 37th highest paid local government worker in the UK in 2010.

According to its numbers, he received £206,439.

Petition organiser Elwyn Bryant, 75, hoped to trigger a council debate on the issue and for employment contracts to be revised.

Petitions with more than 2000 signatures are able to be heard at full council.

But the council refused, and last Tuesday (January 3) Mr Bryant wrote to Bexley Council’s scrutiny committee to review the decision.

Mr Bryant, of Salisbury Road, Bexley said: “Councillors and council officials are being arrogant and contemptuous towards the 2,219 residents that signed the petition.

“They are completely ignoring their own slogan- Listening to you, working for you.

“The attitude of current councilors is they have been elected and they will do what they want for the full term of their administration, with no questioning from the residents that elected them.

“By refusing the petition to be openly debated, the council is being absolutely undemocratic.

“If the scrutiny committee rejects my appeal, I intend to complain to the local government ombudsman claiming maladministration by Bexley Council.”

A Bexley Council spokesman said: “"The Council has taken a tough stand on pay.

“In December the public cabinet agreed a third year of no cost of living pay increase for the significantly reduced number of more senior staff we employ.

"We have told Mr Bryant repeatedly that it is not appropriate or constitutional to discuss the circumstances of individual officers at a public Council meeting and that remuneration for individual staff is laid down in legally binding contracts of employment."