Amalgamation savings claim 'absolute garbage'

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton.

Claims amalgamation would have substantial savings for Hawke's Bay ratepayers is "absolute garbage", says Napier Mayor Bill Dalton.

A Better Hawke's Bay chairwoman Rebecca Turner claimed more than $1 million could be saved in top-tier management salaries alone if the region's councils were merged.

The comment came as reaction to mayoral salary hikes continues this week. Hawke's Bay Today reported pay rates published by the Remuneration Authority on Saturday, which apply for the 12 months beginning July 1.

"Our mayors and regional council chairman earn more than $506,000 collectively. Add to that the salaries of each council's chief executive officer and top-tier management teams and we're in excess of well over $1 million without batting an eyelid," Ms Turner said.

"I think our elected members and council staff work hard for their salaries and I'm certainly not undermining the time and effort that goes into such roles, but my point is that Hawke's Bay is flushing money down the drain when it could be better directed elsewhere if leadership and structures were merged."

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule agreed savings would reach big numbers.

"It would be somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million," he said.

Mr Dalton said the statement was, "absolute garbage". He said replacing four mayors and a chair of the Regional Council with one leader would not equal cost cuts.

"The salaries of mayors and chairs are calculated on a complex formula ... if you have one mayor that one mayor will get paid a lot more than any of the mayors are currently paid, the deputy mayors will get more.

"It's the same at the level of chief executive, the fact is chief executives will get paid close to double what the current ones are paid but the workload will be such they won't be able to cope alone, they will need help too."

Not only would there be "no savings" Mr Dalton felt the move would result in "over-populated" governance and senior management.