High-performing senior officers at Hertfordshire County Council will be eligible for a two per cent ‘cost of living’ pay rise from April – and have the chance of earning a £3250 bonus too.

A meeting of the county council's employment committee backed proposed salary increases for HCC's most senior staff on Monday, February 10.

As part of the plans, only those senior staff who reach 'fully achieved' or 'exceed' in their annual performance review will qualify for the increase.

In addition, the committee also backed proposals for the bonuses payable to those staff who 'exceed' in their annual performance reviews to be increased to £3250.

Last year, 13 of the eligible 118 senior managers reached an 'exceed' rating and were given a 'performance-related payment' of £3000.

Typically, these 'performance-related payments' are awarded to 10 per cent of the senior staff.

There are 121 senior officers at the county council - including chief officers, deputy and assistant directors and heads of service - who typically earn between £54,000 and £170,000 a year.

In total, there are 11 members of management who earn more than £100,000 annually according to the latest senior officer salary data for April 2019.

Of those, the chief executive of the council, Owen Mapley earns the most at £180,000 each year. The lowest on the list is Matt Ansell, operations director for children's services, who earns £102,000.

The median earnings for the whole of the council's workforce is £26,999, meaning the ratio between the lowest and highest paid members of staff is 1:6.7.

The salaries of most council staff are negotiated nationally by the National Joint Council for local government services.

The decision of the council's employment committee says the pay award to senior staff may be reviewed, depending on the settlement of the National Joint Council for local government workers pay award.