The true value of finance? More than than Health and Education

Tuesday 12 June 2018

The States’ Financial Services Chief earns up to £200,000 per year, ahead of Health, Education and Treasury bosses, and Hospital consultants, it has been revealed.

Health and Social Services Chief Executive Julie Garbutt was paid £185-190,000 in 2017, while the man who holds the island’s purse strings, States Treasurer Richard Bell, took home £165-175,000.

Education Chief Officer Justin Donovan, who is stepping down this year, earned around £140,000.

But ex-Jersey Finance Deputy Director Richard Corrigan topped the lot when he was hired to oversee the island’s finance and digital sectors, and act as the main accounting officer for the Chief Minister’s Department and Innovation Fund, in April last year.

On a salary of around £200,000 a year, not only does it exceed that of States management stalwarts and nearly 100 doctors and specialist hospital consultants, but only just fell short of the overall States Chief Executive John Richardson, who earned up to £210,000 in 2017.

All heads either saw their salaries rise by around £5,000 or stay the same between 2016 and 2017, except the Environment Department’s Andy Scate, whose salary fell by around £5,000. The Treasurer enjoyed the biggest rise of £15,000, while States Greffier Dr Mark Egan and Social Security Head Ian Burns benefited from an extra £10,000 each.  

Pictured: The numbers of government workers who earned more than £100,000 in 2017.

The accounts also revealed the final pension pot sum for Mr Richardson, who made an early departure from his role in Autumn last year to pave the way for Westminster’s Charlie Parker, at £3.2million. In his final year of work, he received a top-up of around £104,000. The overall figure puts him £1million ahead of Health’s Julie Garbutt, who is set to step down to look after her elderly parents with a pension pot of over £2.1million.

Pictured: Former States top dog John Richardson has a pension pot in excess of £3million.

However, those salaries – and pension pots – could change under Charlie Parker’s new government plans, involving the creation of several new departments. It’s unknown how many current workers could end up leaving under the reconfiguration, but the Accounts showed that “redesign” of the States had already meant a number of severance and voluntary redundancy pay-outs in 2016 and 2017. 

£6.4million was handed out in ex-gratia payments to 176 individuals in 2016 – one significant ‘golden handshake’ being to former Economic Development Chief Officer Mike King. He was awarded payment in lieu of notice totalling £88,805.

That total figure decreased to 51 people last year, amounting to £1.3million. Eight individuals received redundancy payments totalling over £100,000.

Overall, 245 States workers received remuneration in excess of £100,000 – but the proportion of those who are female is likely to be very low. According to the Accounts, only one in three senior managers in the States are female. That drops to around just one in ten at director level.