Last month Oldham MBC announced a pay rise of £26k to its chief executive. Last week Cumbria CC hired an interim chief on the same salary as his predecessor. What links these two councils is that both had ‘weak' categories in December's CPA and both are now paying about the same salary, £130-134k to their respective chiefs.

Both cases reflect the upward pressure on top salaries rather than CPA categories. Oldham's four yearly pay review coincided with its ‘weak' result which was ill timing. Cumbria however had initiated its own salary review a year before when the county was in a higher category, ‘fair'.