Pay gap 'stable' at Sunderland City Council, with chief executive earning eight times more than the median average salary

According Sunderland City Council’s Pay Policy statement for 2021/22, the top earner is chief executive Patrick Melia, with a salary of £191,600.

The median pay at the council is £21,748, giving a ration of 8.81:1, slightly higher than the previous year’s figure of 8.8:1.

“[There’s] very little change from last year,” said Jon Ritchie, the council’s executive director of corporate services.

“For instance, the pay multiple between the chief executive and median pay is largely unchanged from the previous year.

“That reflects the fact that there has been a consistent pay award applied across the council, although it did increase slightly more for the lower paid members and staff.”

Ritchie was speaking at a meeting of the city council’s Human Resources Committee, which was held by videolink and broadcast via YouTube.

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