Wolverhampton The senior civil servant could receive a £32,000 pay rise if a new pay deal is approved.

He city ​​hall is set to debate a report highlighting how chief executive Tim Johnson’s salary is lower than comparable authorities, meaning there is a risk he could leave.

To catch up, city hall will need to raise salaries, according to the report’s authors, Penna, a local government contracting specialist, who presented a series of proposals.

A report to a full council meeting on November 6 said: “The Penna report sets out the challenging conditions that local governments continue to face in terms of recruitment and retention; Therefore, it is important that the board continues to develop and attract high-quality talent.

“It is imperative that we have a fair and competitive bid to ensure we have the right people in the right roles for our city.”

Following a survey into the salaries of local authority executives, Penna placed Wolverhampton at the bottom of the league with the best salaries among Black Country councils.

The city’s highest earners only pants between £167,000 and £178,000 compared to the bust in Birmingham, where the highest wage level ranges between £207,000 and a whopping £312,500.

According to Penna’s research, the pay level of council chief executives is struggling to keep up with their counterparts in health boards and trusts, who can earn up to £275,000 according to 2022 figures, while top performers in multi-academy education trusts earn over £200,000 with some earning up to £300,000.

All public sector salaries for top earners are dwarfed by the private sector, where the average salary for the top 100 FTSE companies is £3.81m.

Councilors will discuss executive pay as part of a debate on the Our Future reform programme, which includes the loss of several senior executive positions.

Any increase in the chief executive’s salary would be funded by abolishing the deputy director of transport role, saving the council £103,000.