Family doctor paid £270,571

CHARLIE PARKER . . . £163,920

29 Oldham GPs earn more than the Prime Minister

AN OLDHAM GP is earning £270,571 a year — and two others more than £200,000 each, according to a new review of public sector wages.

The BBC’s “Panorama” programme, working with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, also revealed that 29 GPs in Oldham earned more than the Prime Minister’s salary of £142,500.

And 58 receive more than Gail Richards, chief executive of NHS Oldham, who takes home £122,221.

In total 115 GPs in Oldham earn more than £100,000 a year.

The research was based on more than 2,400 Freedom of Information requests made to public bodies across the UK between February and September, 2010, and featured in its programme on Monday.

However, Dr Peter Wright, chairman of the West Pennine Local Medical Committee, which represents GPs in Oldham, Tameside and Glossop, questioned the amounts.

He said: “I find it very hard to see them as take-home pay figures.

“There are a number of GP contracts which are based on delivering services but within that, we have to provide premises, staff and any expenses incurred.

“A doctor could be receiving such a high figure but they aren’t likely to be taking it home.”

Dr Wright, based at Glodwick Medical Practice, said the average gross salary for a full time GP was between £80,000 and £120,000, with GPs negotiating their own contract with the Department of Health.

He said GPs can boost their pay by undertaking specialist work.

He said: “GPs have not had a pay rise in the past four years so have been funding staff pay rises and increased building costs from their own income.”

The “Panorama” review named the top earner in local government as Gerald Jones, chief executive for conservative-run Wandsworth Borough Council, on £299,925.

Oldham’s chief executive Charlie Parker failed to hit the top ten of big earners despite a wage of £163,920.

Councillor Howard Sykes, leader of the Council said: “The salary for the position of chief executive is £163,920.

“This is the figure that the position was advertised at in October, 2008, and is comparable to that of neighbouring local authorities.

“In his position as the council’s election Returning Officer, overseeing and ensuring the democratic process runs accordingly across the borough for Parliamentary and European elections, the chief executive receives £6,837.

“This is a rate set nationally by central Government.”

He added that Mr Parker also received an allowance of £12,294 for his duties as Clerk to Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.

With regards to education, the review revealed that one school official working for Essex County Council, whose position had not been named, earned £232,500.

Only one Oldham head teacher was paid in excess of £100,000 during 2009-10, while another head who left during that time who would have earned £100,000 to £105,000 had they completed the full year.

Oldham Council confirmed none of the borough’s head teachers earned more than the Prime Minister.

The review found Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has seven people earning over £100,000 a year.

It came third in the top ten of forces with individuals paid more than £100,000, beaten by the Police Force of Northern Ireland with nine employees and the Metropolitan Police Service, which covers London, with 13 .

Explaining why he wanted to create the public pay database, Iain Overton, Editor at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, said: “Given the Government’s own findings that the salaries of the top 10 per cent of earners in the public sector have risen by 50 per cent in the last decade, the Bureau wanted to know how many top earners there were and what they were doing for their money.”