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Sunday 2 August 2009

You have probably never heard of Mike Mackay

Neither had I until today. He is an IT manager. He works for the Youth Justice Board, a quango charged with overseeing youth justice and the rehabilitation of young criminals.

He must be doing a fantastic job because he has been paid almost £1 million over the past three years, and this makes him one of the highest-paid public servants in the country.

Freedom of Information requests and the YJB’s annual accounts reveal that in 2007 Mr Mackay was paid £330,000 for his services. Last year that rose to £351,499, but this year his salary dropped to £336,000.

So what calibre of bozo decided that the going rate of pay for an IT manager is twice that of the chap with his finger on the nuclear button?

It turns out the board of this quango consists of

  • a former interim Director General of the Royal British Legion,
  • a former headteacher of two secondary schools,
  • a Vicar,
  • a retired Deputy Chief Constable,
  • a former Director of Shelter,
  • somebody with "extensive experience of engaging and working with voluntary and community sector bodies including black and ethnic minority organisations and young people",
  • the Director of Regional Management at the National Treatment Agency (whatever that is),
  • a former Secondary School Teacher in the Peace Corps in Zaire with over 20 years experience of work in the Voluntary Sector,
  • someone with "extensive experience in youth justice and in the voluntary sector who is currently on the Board of Capacity Builders",
  • a District Judge and
  • a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan.

No doubt all pocketing more than a few readies for their troubles (the accounts show a total of £238,000 in 2009), but none of them having any obvious qualities that would imply they are capable of appointing anything more than a deputy head of HR on £40,000.

But Mr Mackay must be one hell of an IT manager to justify his pay, because according to the latest accounts he is paid £336,000 a year to manage a computer portfolio with a net book value at 31 March 2009 of just £272,000.

3 comments:

Old Jock said...

Dear Alex,

I'm sure your figures are right; thus, he has been paid over £1m for the last three years! One has to wonder what he has provided for such magnificent remuneration...

Do HMRC know about this income?

Yours,

Old Jock

Demetrius said...

As a small boy, my great uncle taught me how to use a "cat o'nine tails". Would I qualify for a place on the board?

Not a sheep said...

I'll do the work for £250k and that's without even looking at what he does.