Cost of Town Hall refurb director nears £1m

Manchester City Council is looking to recruit a project director to oversee the £330m refurbishment of the Town Hall, at a salary of up to £140,000, and a £50,000 bonus on completion.

Earlier this year the council announced urgent repairs were needed to the grade-one listed Town Hall, and that the works represented an opportunity to overhaul excess space, potentially for use as offices or a hotel.

A meeting of the full council is due to take place on Wednesday 30 November, with a recommendation that it approves plans to begin the recruitment process for a director to manage the scheme, at a salary package of £120,000 to £140,000.

The £50,000 bonus would be dependent “upon satisfactory completion of the project to agreed timelines, cost and quality; and the project director leaving the employment of the council at the end of the project.”

The council has set a deadline of 2023 for project completion. Based on an April 2017 start date, and finishing in 2023, a director hired at the higher end of the annual salary bracket would cost £890,000 over the six-year period, including the bonus.

In addition, the position “may require the introduction of a market supplement”, where the council would increase the salary should it find that the remuneration is less than market rate.

The outcome of the exercise to check salary levels will be reported to the council’s personnel committee next month, and will include recommendations on the recruitment process.