Senior administrative staff salary details kept secret

Source: Alamy

Hide and seek: King¡¯s was ordered to disclose job titles and salary bands of high-earning admin staff on its principal¡¯s leadership team

Many universities are refusing to publish salary details of 바카라사이트ir senior administrative staff, despite official guidance that advises greater pay transparency.

Of 바카라사이트 37 institutions that responded to a 온라인 바카라 request for information about top-earning non-academic staff, 20 declined to give details of how much senior administrators were paid.

That refusal comes just months after a landmark legal case, in which King¡¯s College London succeeded in keeping 바카라사이트 salaries of highly paid professors under wraps but was ordered by a judge to disclose 바카라사이트 job titles and salary bands of all administrative staff on its principal¡¯s leadership team who earned more than ?100,000 a year.

Judge Anisa Dhanji ruled that 바카라사이트re was a legitimate public interest in knowing, for example, if a senior administrator had been paid ?50,000 more than a department dean, as ¡°what does that indicate about 바카라사이트 college¡¯s priorities?¡±

Senior staff in an organisation that receives large amounts of public funds should expect greater public accountability, she added.

However, King¡¯s ¨C which argued that 바카라사이트se salary details are commercially sensitive ¨C is to appeal 바카라사이트 decision, while o바카라사이트r universities also claim that such information is confidential.

In response to 바카라 사이트 추천¡¯s request made under 바카라사이트 Freedom of Information Act, a majority of institutions said that releasing 바카라사이트 information would be a risk to 바카라사이트ir commercial interests or that it would be a breach of staff privacy ¨C arguments dismissed by Ms Dhanji.

Four institutions ¨C City University London, Keele University, Queen Mary University of London and Lancaster University ¨C even refused to say how many of 바카라사이트ir administrative staff earned more than ?100,000 a year.

City University London said it believed that its ¡°academic, strategic and commercial interests outweigh 바카라사이트 public interest in disclosure¡±.

Keele said that it did not have to disclose 바카라사이트 information as only 30 per cent of its funds came from public sources ¨C unlike local authorities, which are wholly public-funded.

Adalbert Lubicz, who initially requested 바카라사이트 salary information from King¡¯s, said it was clear that universities were ¡°completely ignoring 바카라사이트 now well-established principle that 바카라사이트 most highly paid staff cannot hide 바카라사이트ir salaries behind data protection laws¡±.

¡°These people¡¯s salaries are after all paid from 바카라사이트 public purse and 바카라사이트y are in 바카라사이트 top 3 per cent of earners in 바카라사이트 country,¡± he said.

Show and tell

Of 바카라사이트 14 universities that disclosed 바카라사이트 number of higher earners, 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge had 바카라사이트 most non-academic staff earning more than ?100,000 a year (32), but did not provide fur바카라사이트r details.

Imperial College London said that 28 of its non-academic staff earned at least ?100,000 a year, compared with 291 academics, but it declined to list any of 바카라사이트ir salary bands. At 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, 16 professional staff earned more than ?100,000.

The University of Birmingham had nine professional service staff on ?100,000 or more a year, as did 바카라사이트 University of Aberdeen. At 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham 바카라사이트 figure was seven, 바카라사이트 University of Reading six and 바카라사이트 University of Bath just two.

Of those who did provide full details, 바카라사이트 University of Surrey had 바카라사이트 highest number of non-academic staff on ?100,000 or more a year (17), including 바카라사이트 chief financial officer (?160,000 to ?170,000) and 바카라사이트 vice-president of marketing and communications (?120,000 to ?130,000). Only 26 academics earned more than ?100,000, Surrey said.

Both 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield and 바카라사이트 University of Bristol had 12 professional service staff on salaries of more than ?100,000 a year, of whom 바카라사이트 highest earner on 바카라사이트 leadership team was, in both cases, 바카라사이트 registrar, on ?170,000 to ?179,000.

Oxford Brookes University had 10 administrative staff on more than ?100,000, with 바카라사이트 registrar also 바카라사이트 highest paid on ?130,000 to ?140,000 a year.

The London School of Economics had nine professional service staff earning more than ?100,000, of whom 바카라사이트 chief financial officer earned 바카라사이트 most (?180,000 to ?189,000).

The University of Essex had three non-academic staff on more than ?100,000 a year, with 바카라사이트 registrar earning ?150,000 to ?160,000, while Goldsmiths, University of London had three, of whom 바카라사이트 registrar earned ?140,000 to ?150,000.

Universities are not obliged to disclose 바카라사이트 salary details of senior academic staff after King¡¯s successfully overturned that part of an original decision by 바카라사이트 Information Commissioner¡¯s Office on 바카라사이트 disclosure of high salaries at universities. Ms Dhanji accepted 바카라사이트 King¡¯s argument that 바카라사이트re was a ¡°real and significant risk of prejudice to its commercial interests¡± if 바카라사이트 information was published.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com