Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Do senior council officers offer value for money?

I recently asked the Leader of WC (Jane Scott OBE) whether her cabinet would approach the Chief Executive about taking a 5% pay reduction. I received the shortest answer ever given in the council chamber - 'No'.

However, the government has now announced plans for local authority salaries of more than £100,000 to face public scrutiny and for those salaries to be put before a vote of the full council.

If this goes ahead it will see a number of senior officers at WC having to justify their seemingly over-inflated pay packages.

This can only be good for Wiltshire council tax payers who will finally know who is overpaid without having to trawl through a set of obscure accounts and working out who is who by tying names to job titles.

The only problem will probably be that if the salary levels are decided by full council, the Conservatives will 'whip' their councillors into line and force through unrealistic salary levels.