07.08.07
Local government heroes..
Nice story by Pat Leahy in the SBpost
Bonus bonanza for local authority managers
Almost 300 managers in local authorities across the country have received performance-related bonuses averaging €10,000 each under a little-known scheme, The Sunday Business Post has learned.
The bonus scheme, designed to reward exceptional performance, is open to county council managers and directors of services.
All 274 managers who applied for a bonus received one, according to the annual report of the Committee for Performance Awards.
As with a similar scheme for senior civil servants, all local authority managers who applied for the scheme were adjudged to have exceeded demanding targets.
The vast majority exceeded their targets to a remarkably similar degree.
Oft he 274 people who received bonuses, 265 were rewarded within the same band of5 -12 per cent of salary. In cash terms, most received between €5,000 and €13,000.
….Eight managers in Galway County Council received bonuses averaging €10,000 each.”
Nice. Who set the targets? The same people who awarded benchmarked, index linked, defined benefit pensions to everyone in the public service at a cost of €45 billion and counting? And now refuses to hire anyone else in local government so work doesn’t get done? The same people who are now likely to make it mandatory for non-public service employees to take out pensions that pay rip off fees to insurance companies? Got to get me a job in the civil or public service…
Beetroot said,
July 8, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Local Authorities in this coutry are a law unto themselves, a complete disgrace -parasitic, unaccountable and paid for by the rest of us. Well done to PL for throwing the spotlight on this.
The Crewser said,
July 8, 2007 at 8:01 pm
This scheme does not stop at Manager Level either. Similar bonus payments are made at Director of Services level within Local Authorities and presumably to equivalent Grades within the Civil Service. I dont often find myself in complete agreement with Sarah but this is one issue where I am.
There is absolutely no transparency in this process. Managers have infinitely greater powers no since the Local Government Act of 2000 became law and we all know how certain Managers behaved in the eighties and nineties.
This scheme emanated from Part 2 of Report No. 38 of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector under the specific heading “Rewarding Exceptional Performance”
This scheme is dubious in the extreme and warrants investigation and reform by the incoming Government.
Tom N said,
July 9, 2007 at 8:24 am
Flipping disgraceful! Does anybody think that the greatest irony is that Galway managers got the highest bonus. Cryptosporidium (excuse the spelling) debacle will hopefully come into account during the next appraisal.
I cannot believe that I agree with the Crewser (BCF).
Joe’s Blog » Blog Archive » One for the Greens, one for FF, 10,000 for whoever wants it said,
July 9, 2007 at 10:00 am
[...] Sarah – All 274 local authority managers who applied for a bonus received one….averaging €10,000 [...]
The Crewser said,
July 9, 2007 at 12:57 pm
The Assessment System for the awards is interesting. You will not find this in any Newspaper but here it is. The Bonus awards are monitored by a group headed by The Secretary General of The Department of the Environment plus two serving Local Authority Managers (when the position of one of these members is under discussion, that member will withdraw, the other member will remain. The secretariat for this monitoring body is provided by the Local Government Personnel Section of the Dept. of the Environment. Also there are two members of the private sector. Who one wonders are these. Sounds like a nice cosy arrangement but one which needs urgent review.
And Tom N just because I’m wearing a Blue shirt today doesn’t mean I’m about to turn.
Sarah said,
July 9, 2007 at 6:04 pm
VERY interesting Crewser. I must investigate further. Nice work
JVC said,
July 9, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Regarding pension schemes in the private sector
The Pension companies should be obliged to provide a statement to every person in the scheme which shows exactly what deductions are made.
Most schemes take 5% of what you contribute each month and between 0.5 and 1.5% of your fund value on a yearly basis
This means that you contributions need to grow at least 6% just to break even.
Because tax relief is given on the contributions most people do not notice this.
When you get you a value for you fund this is all hidden.
Sarah said,
July 9, 2007 at 8:02 pm
an insurance broker called Albert Dawson is trying to alert people to the costs of PRSA’s. These are sold as low cost pensions BUT while the costs are low whilst you are actually contributing, the problems arise on maturity. There are very detailed rules about how you can draw down the money. You can have one small lump sum (I think) and then the rest has to be put in an AVC from which you can get an annuity when you reach 75 (stand to be corrected). The average sum saved is likely to be around 40k so the annuity will be modest enough. The fees taken from the management of that fund are very high. He doesn’t recommend anyone take them out.