The chief executive of Ceredigion County Council is to get a pay rise of up to £15,000.

Councillors approved plans earlier today to give chief executive Eifion Evans a 14 per cent pay rise after receiving a report from the Independent Remuneration Panel which recommended an increase in pay.

The chief executive currently earns between £106,000 and £117,000 but following approval today of the pay increase, that figure will go up to £121,000 to £130,000.

A full council meeting discussed the proposal earlier today and it was given the go ahead after 26 councillors voted in favour.

Three councillors objected and three abstained.

Cllr Ray Quant, deputy leader of Ceredigion council, told fellow councillors how a pay deficit had grown after former chief executive of the council, Bronwen Morgan, who stood down in 2017, continually turned down pay increases.

Cllr Ceredig Davies, opposed the pay increase, saying: “This is a contentious issue. I am not sure how council staff will feel seeing the chief executive get a 14 per cent pay rise as that is what this is, £15,000.

“I am not willing to support that.”

Cllr Keith Evans said: “The public should be assured that there in an independent body that looks at the remuneration and that is where this figure has come from.”

Cllr John Roberts said: “Morally, it’s very bad timing.

“It’s not just the chief exec who’s worked hard during these times.

“Without the staff around him, nothing would get done.

“I’m not saying it shouldn’t be done, but not when people are struggling.”

Cllr Lyndon Lloyd added: “Let us all not mention the word Gold Command, because that will go down like a bomb with our electorate, but yet I have always argued, Ceredigion is low in paying staff.

“We’ve got to stand up now and say we are trying to recruit more people at better salary levels.”