HOW is it that I keep reading about the need for the public sector to cut back on its expenditure but at the same time read about how our top council employees are being given record pay increases?

HOW is it that I keep reading about the need for the public sector to cut back on its expenditure but at the same time read about how our top council employees are being given record pay increases?

Now we have doubled the number of council officials who earn over �2,000 per week plus, of course, an increase in their pension which we shall be paying for when the time comes.

I do remember suggesting many months ago that anyone who is earning �1,000 per week or more should have a freeze on their salaries, but knowing full well that this would never happen.

But just how is it that North Somerset Council, which is not what you can call a large unitary authority, is paying so many people these large salaries.

I don't think it's any good them saying we have to or we will not attract the calibre of people we need, I think it is because we actually offer these large sums in the first place and we would still have got them to work for the council if the job had been advertised at half of what had been offered.

I think that if the council said they were going to reduce all staff salaries by 20 per cent for anyone earning over �1,000 a week, not one person would give in their notice.

Why? Because they know full well that they would have no chance of earning the same money elsewhere.

It's about time that we had some accountability and that they got a grip on how much they decided to pay people, and also how many people the council needs to employ.

Let's hope our council can start to cut back on spending our money.

LAURENCE F ORME

Shrubbery Avenue

Weston