THE number of high earning York council officers looks set to be cut as part of the drive to reduce public spending, council leader Andrew Waller said today.

But he indicated the authority’s new chief executive was unlikely to see a pay cut, at least in the short term, as her starting salary was already below the “going rate”.

The Liberal Democrat councillor was speaking after his party nationally announced plans to cut public spending by reducing the cost of council staff earning more than £100,000 by 25 per cent.

Party leader Nick Clegg said it was right high-earners in the public sector should feel the pain, rather than a “slash and burn” approach which would hurt ordinary workers. He claimed excessively high salaries had let rip in both the public and private sector over the past decade, while many people were struggling to make ends meet.

Coun Waller said when the post of chief executive had been advertised earlier this year, following Bill McCarthy’s resignation to join NHS Yorkshire and Humberside, he had personally ordered the salary should be no higher than it had been when Mr McCarthy was recruited in 2007 – up to £145,000.

He said this meant the pay was below the going rate for authorities of a similar size and stature, which commonly paid £20,000 to £30,000 more for the same position. For example, Derby, a unitary authority of a similar size, was paying £160,000.

He said York had therefore, in effect, already cut the salary, and had had to trade on the prestige of working for an authority in such a city. Kersten England, who is currently group director of community services at Calderdale Council, will take over at York next month.

Coun Waller said rather than cutting her and other senior officers’ salaries, the administration would look to reduce the number of officers earning more than £100,000, with a similar net effect of making a 25 per cent saving. He said a possible reduction in the number of high earning officers was one of the matters currently being examined by external consultants charged with saving the council £15 million over three years.