Go on give it back Jill, Mark, and Steve ??????

Give your bonus to needy, bosses told
Feb 22 2008
by Dave Black, The Journal
BUMPER “golden handcuffs” pay rises to three senior county council officers have been branded scandalous by members of a rural parish council in Northumberland.
Hartburn Parish Council has called on the three officials to hand back their controversial 20% salary increases and donate the money to employ more carers for elderly and disabled people.
County chief executive Mark Henderson, deputy chief executive Jill Dixon and finance director Steven Mason were awarded the retention payments last October to ensure they do not leave to take up new jobs during the transition process to unitary local government in Northumberland next year.
The decision to boost their pay was taken unilaterally under delegated powers by council leader Peter Hillman, without being referred to the ruling Labour group or the full county council for approval.
It has been widely condemned by local MPs, opposition councillors, trade union officials and members of the public at a time when the Prime Minister is calling for tough controls on public sector pay. Now Hartburn Parish Council, which discussed the issue at its recent meeting, says it is united in its condemnation of the pay rises. The three officers were already on performance-related annual salaries of about £150,000, £110,000 and £100,000 respectively.
Parish council chairman Ernie Coe said the decision was “nothing less than scandalous” when police were battling for the Government to honour their 2% pay rise, other public sector workers were having their wages cut and the county council was making £4.7m in budget reductions.
“We feel sure there are county council employees who are perfectly capable of carrying out the work of these three figureheads. No one is indispensable. There is only so much work that one person can do, no matter how much they are paid.
“Perhaps Mark Henderson, Jill Dixon and Steven Mason might regain a certain amount of public respect by donating their pay increases back to the council to fund the posts of three or four full-time carers for the elderly and disabled.”
Coun Coe said parish council members were shocked that Coun Hillman was able to make a decision of such magnitude without the approval of the county council. “We sincerely hope that lessons will be learned and legislation put in place in the formation of the new unitary authority so that errors of judgment such as this can never be made again.”
Coun Hillman said he had used appropriate powers under the council’s constitution to sanction the payments. He said he had decided to approve them for “business critical reasons” to ensure the required knowledge and know-how was in place at the top of the authority during the huge challenge of switching to unitary local government.
“I took this decision in October in order to secure at an early stage the services of these three officers. These are time-limited retention payments, not permanent pay rises.” The payments mean Mr Henderson’s earnings will go up £28,200, Ms Dixon’s £21,099 and Mr Mason’s £18,989 – more than many people’s annual salary.