Denbighshire County Council – Paid too much?

^{Denbighshire County Council headquarters, County Hall, Ruthin (Image: Newsquest)}

Who got paid what

Let’s line up the figures. Starting, for comparison, over in neighbouring Conwy County Borough, their chief exec, Rhun ap Gareth, took home £136,638 in 2023-24. Gwynedd’s head honcho, Dafydd Gibbard, made £121,595. Meanwhile, on the Isle of Anglesey, Dylan Williams pocketed £128,608.

But back to Denbighshire—where things get interesting. After chief executive Graham Boase at £144,118, the next-biggest earner was Nicola Stubbins, corporate director for social services and education, on £118,254 last year (that’s up from £114,255). She also picked up an employer pension contribution of £22,232.

Rounding out the top tier: Tony Ward (economy & environment) and Gary Williams (governance & business), both on £115,651. And just so you know, each of them also received £21,742 in employer pension contributions—matching pound for pound.

And that’s your exclusive club: these four—Boase, Stubbins, Ward, and Williams—were the only people on the council’s payroll earning more than £100k in 2023-24. That’s it. The select few at the top.

What happens next? Well, this draft set of accounts now goes under the microscope at Audit Wales. Their job: comb through every figure and make sure it all adds up. Once their audit wraps up, they’ll report back to the governance and audit committee—and then it’s up to the committee to give the accounts their stamp of approval on behalf of the council.

So, if you like following where public money goes and who’s earning what, this is the moment to watch!

Did you know?

I have a personal insight into what goes on in one department of Denbighshire county council; the IT Department has at least 3 line managers, what you are about to read sums up their typical daily routine regarding managing staff at work.

After arriving in work and getting their morning drink, they check emails, check the IT Support desk for anything critical, and then they start dishing out jobs. Dishing out jobs is done in Teams, essentially, each individual is tasked via Teams, then the managers gather at a desk with their Microsoft Slates (retail price £799) and with Teams open and they watch the their staff "Chat" announcing each job as they start and finish them. That's it!

Sports afternoon/day

Each staff member is allowed to have time off every week usually on a Thursday to play sport! Wow, wouldn't that be great in the real world? Yes you do get paid for playing sport - thank you for asking. This is our Tax money at work!

Stress management

During my time with the IT Department in Denbighshire I was asked to leave bigger gaps between job assignments at remote sites. You see, I had booked 3 people each with a laptop, to have the same task completed. The task? To connect their phone securely to the laptop in a configuration called "Tethering". There were 2 members of staff to deal with the 3 people, so one would have to wait 5 or 10 minutes to get their laptop and phone connected.

Please, open a new tab in your browser and search how to tether and Andriod phone to a laptop securely. You will get something like this:

USB Tethering (Most Secure Method)

This method is the most secure because it uses a direct cable connection, minimizing exposure to other devices or networks.

Step 1: Connect your Android phone to your laptop using a USB cable.
Step 2: On your Android phone, open Settings.
Step 3: Navigate to Network & Internet (or Connections / Wireless & Networks depending on your phone).
Step 4: Tap Hotspot & Tethering or Tethering & portable hotspot.
Step 5: Toggle on USB tethering.
Step 6: Your laptop will detect the new wired network and connect to the internet using your phone's mobile data.
Step 7: On your laptop, ensure the network connection is active and working.

It isn't rocket science.

So why was I asked to leave a bigger gap between appointments? Well, fulishly I have booked them in at the same time, because I was sure one person wouldn't mind waiting an extra 5 or 10 minutes. But I was told that staff had to have a 10 minute break between jobs to reduce stress levels!!!!

When asked why, I was told it was an EU directive that had been adopted! The only EU directive I could find that mentions anything like this is the Working Time Directive (Directive 2003/88/EC).

The relevant European directive is the Working Time Directive (Directive 2003/88/EC), which governs rest breaks for employees. According to this directive:

If the working day exceeds 6 hours, every worker is entitled to a rest break.
The length of the break is not explicitly stated in the directive itself but must be laid down by collective agreements, industry agreements, or national law; however, the break should be sufficient to serve its purpose (e.g., allowing a worker to eat a meal).
In practice, many EU countries and employment contracts specify a minimum 20-minute uninterrupted rest break for shifts longer than 6 hours, consistent with guidance from the UK and other member states.
The directive also mandates at least 11 consecutive hours of daily rest between working days, and weekly rest periods of a minimum of 24 uninterrupted hours per 7-day period.
Special rules apply to certain sectors (e.g., young workers, display screen operators, transport) with some countries requiring more generous breaks or specific structures (for example, Austria mandates a 10-minute break after every 50 minutes of display screen work).

In summary, the Working Time Directive obliges that workers take a break after working more than 6 hours, with the exact break duration set by national law or collective agreements, often at least 20 minutes of uninterrupted rest. The directive emphasizes that this break must be adequate enough to fulfill its purpose and that daily and weekly rest periods are also guaranteed.

There is no general EU-wide fixed duration stated in the directive itself beyond general principles, but a 20-minute break after six hours’ work is the most common minimum standard applied across member states.

Grump Time

So, basically, a manager, sorry a highly paid manager, has taken the decision to strech the jobs out. Did I mention the reason I was there was because this department was 6 months behind on their work? And did I mention that myself and one other person cleared that 6 month backlog in 3 weeks?

How did we do that? Simple, we work in the real world and multi-task jobs.

Award for the Best IT Support

But maybe I should mention that the department has several annual awards for the best IT Support. How is this measured? It comes from a survey.... People they speak to on the phone are asked "Are you satisfied with the work completed for you today?" or a similar question, just the one question in the survey. So, if every time you complete a job for a member of staff (fixing something) you ask them the question, you get a 100% success rate don't you?

This makes me so angry - seriously. Add to this the waste in laptops that are under warranty but if if they can't fix a fault by re-installing the laptop it goes and sits in a store room (rather than being replaced under warranty). You start to get the picture of time and resources wasted because staff really can't be arsed to do the right thing for the people who employ them, us!

Finally, just in case you wonder what those ultra high £100,000 plus salaries are paid for, I asked my AI of choice to research and produce the responsibilities of the Chief Executive Office. You tell me if what this guy does is attend meetings and sign off jobs (a glorified pen pusher), and then ask yourself why a public servant in a county council should be paid a similar wage to members of the Governments cabinet office?

Then read the responsibilities and decide if they have failed in each of them.

What my AI says the Chief Executive's responsibilities are:

The chief executive of a UK county council holds comprehensive responsibilities as the Head of the Paid Service, combining strategic leadership, management, and advisory roles to ensure effective governance and service delivery across the council. Key responsibilities include:

Overall Corporate and Operational Management: They have authority over all council officers (except where specific statutory responsibilities apply) and are responsible for the efficient management and execution of the council’s functions, services, and corporate objectives2 3 6.
Lead Adviser to the Council: The chief executive provides professional advice to elected members at all tiers, supporting decision-making processes, strategy development, and policy formulation1 2 3.
Coordination and Integration of Council Functions: They oversee the design, delivery, and integration of all council services to ensure they align with strategic goals and deliver value for money1 3 9.
Head of Paid Service: Statutorily designated by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, the chief executive leads the council’s paid workforce, including performance management of senior staff and fostering a positive corporate culture2 3 7.
Governance and Legal Compliance: They collaborate with the Monitoring Officer on record keeping for council decisions and ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and the council constitution2 6 11.
Elections and Emergency Management: Often serve as Returning Officer for elections and lead council response and recovery during civil emergencies1.
Representation and Partnership Building: Represent the council externally, negotiate with partners, and lead the development of productive partnerships at local, regional, and national levels3 9 10.
Promotion of Council Priorities and Culture: Drive forward planning, continuous improvement, and cultural change to meet service excellence and community needs3 4 7.
Accountability and Strategic Direction: Responsible for ensuring the council delivers its vision and strategic objectives, including oversight of corporate management teams and delivery programs5 9 10.

In summary, the chief executive acts as the principal adviser, organizational leader, and manager of the council, synthesizing political leadership with operational delivery and ensuring that the council meets its statutory duties and strategic ambitions effectively.

This role demands strong leadership, strategic vision, political awareness, and the ability to work collaboratively across members, officers, and external partners3 9 10.

Grumpy Old Guy