Teignbridge Chief Executive Nicola Bulbeck gets a £130,000 salary for new shared post with Torridge

Teignbridge District Council has formally agreed its joint Chief Executive arrangement with Torridge District Council.

The plans to cut share a chief executive was agreed by both councils in July, and within the past week a formal agreement has been signed by the two councils and chief executive Nicola Bulbeck – who gets a £130,000 salary to run both. 

She will have responsibility for over 900 full and part time staff at the authorities, rising to over 1100 in busy summer periods, and serving a combined total of approximately 200,000 residents.

Both Teignbridge and Torridge took independent advice on her salary from the local government employment body, South West Regional Employers.

A council spokesman said: “The move towards a joint Chief Executive arrangement is part of a continuing drive for efficiency, cost savings and service improvements at both councils, and creates savings for both in this current year and into the future.”

Cllr Alan Connett, Leader of Teignbridge District Council said:

“Local councils have to work harder to make savings and sharing wherever we can means we are able to cut costs in this way rather than, for example, in services customers want us to provide. This also opens the door to more efficient ways of working and we’re already starting to share skills and experience which will benefit local services.

“We’ve taken independent advice from South West Regional Employers in agreeing the salary for this new role. It’s a big job and I believe the first time in the country a joint chief executive has been appointed to run councils which are not geographically next to each other.  By sharing a chief executive, it means we’ll save around £50,000 a year for Teignbridge, which is essential given the expected cuts to come in Government funding for councils.”