Council bosses defend senior pay awards after Kintyre councillor’s challenge

Executive director Kirsty Flanagan, the section 95 officer, responded: “The cost in 2025/26 has been built into the monitoring report and has been funded from earmarked reserves. The 2026/27 cost is reflected in the budget pack and you will see that in the employee section.”

Executive director Douglas Hendry then said: “Ms Flanagan has dealt with the point about additional costs in full.

“In relation to the other elements of Councillor Macpherson’s questions, my understanding is that the chief executive, in an email to Councillor Macpherson on February 2, specifically dealt with questions relating to percentage increases, and the legal status and enforceability of the increases. My view is that these have been explained fully in the appropriate terms.

“Information given relates to the report brought before the policy and resources committee on December 4. The bottom line is that there seem to be no outstanding issues which have not been addressed.

“Councillor Macpherson is, on an ongoing basis, looking at things in terms of factors like governance, transparency, accountability and oversight and the scrutiny of public funds.

“I would make the point that there are well-established frameworks allowing councillors to do that. It is not the case that an individual councillor has free rein over all of the council’s business, particularly when the matters the councillor wants to pursue have been explained in a proper fashion.”

Councillor Macpherson said: “My understanding is that I am an elected representative for the people and taxpayers of Argyll and Bute and I have the privilege to ask questions that bring governance, oversight, accountability and scrutiny to the fore.

“In some of the correspondence shared with me, there were references, but not a lot of detail.

“Can it be confirmed that the monitoring pack being presented to members is complete and accurate in respect of chief officers’ pay, including the recent and proposed uplifts?”

Mr Hendry responded: “The matters Councillor Macpherson is seeking to pursue flow from the report that went to the policy and resources committee in December.

“While there is reference to chief officers’ pay, that builds on information that is in the public domain.”

Councillor Ross Moreland of the Dunoon ward then asked how many chief officers the council had 20 years previously, and how many were affected by the pay rise Councillor Macpherson referred to.

Ms Flanagan said that the answers were “29 or 39” and 14 respectively.

Councillor Moreland then asked if the road network, or school rolls in the area, had decreased by 50 per cent in the same period. Officers responded they had not.

Councillor Moreland then said: “It is worth bearing in mind that we have found, before and during my time as a councillor, that the number of officers has reduced, but things the council is doing has not.”