YORK’S council bosses will lose holidays and automatic pay rises – but salaries for some top roles may increase.

City of York Council has agreed to introduce a “market supplement” enabling it to raise pay for specific senior officer posts to keep and attract talent, while chief officers’ holiday entitlement will fall from 34 days to 30 and pay progression will be based on performance rather than time served.

Council leader James Alexander said York’s senior officials were among the lowest-paid in local government and had increased workloads, saying: “It is hard to recruit staff of calibre and hold on to them.

‘‘I think a blanket pay increase is wrong in these difficult times and a cost-neutral, market-rate supplement, paid for by reduction in holidays, is far more preferable if only applied when there is a specific business case and a member of staff of calibre in question.”

Coun Alexander criticised the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups for opposing the market supplement policy. However, Tory leader Coun Ian Gillies said: "I believe the market supplement is not the way forward to either reward or recruit staff.

"Terms and conditions form part of a contract at the beginning of employment, including performance-related pay if applicable. If there are changes in responsibility or work patterns, they can be addressed, but to pay what is tantamount to a golden handcuff is wrong."

Liberal Democrat leader Coun Keith Aspden said: "In the current economic climate and with ongoing public sector pay constraints, we believe it would be inappropriate for the total pay of chief officers to increase."