Council Leader Phil Jordan Responds To Senior Salary Figures

The Isle of Wight Council’s leader, Phil Jordan, has responded to figures showing a number of senior roles at County Hall earn more than £100,000 a year.

New data, obtained through Freedom of Information requests, reveals there are 12 senior management positions above that threshold.

The council’s Chief Executive, Wendy Perera, is the highest paid, with a full-time equivalent salary of £153,236 — around eight times higher than the lowest-paid roles at the authority, which stand at £19,290.

Other senior salaries include £129,500 for both the Strategic Director of Adult Social Care and Housing and the Strategic Director of Children’s Services, £125,017 for the Strategic Director of Community Services, £120,465 for the Director of Corporate Services, and £116,278 for the Director of Public Health.

Responding to the figures, Councillor Jordan said residents were right to question senior pay, particularly at a time when many households are under financial pressure.

However, he stressed that these roles carry significant responsibility, including safeguarding vulnerable people, overseeing complex services, and ensuring the council meets its legal obligations.

He added that salaries are broadly in line with — and in some cases lower than — those offered by comparable councils, and remain well below equivalent positions in the private sector when bonuses and incentives are considered.

Councillor Jordan also highlighted the challenges of recruiting experienced senior staff to the Island, saying its geography can limit the pool of suitable candidates, with pay reflecting those difficulties.

Addressing criticism around shared services, he said the current administration did not scrap such arrangements.

Instead, he explained that previous shared roles with Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth City Council were ended unilaterally by those authorities.

Opposition councillors have also commented on the figures. Conservative group leader Ed Blake said the council is paying the “going rate” for senior roles and argued a future Conservative-led authority would look again at sharing services to improve value for money.

Meanwhile, Councillor Chris Jarman of the Empowering Islanders group said the salaries were in line with other councils, noting that recruitment challenges and a national shortage of experienced candidates can drive costs higher.

He added that while scrutiny is important, there should also be transparency around how the figures are presented, particularly where roles may not be full-time.

Other political groups have been approached for comment.