BOSSES at Blackpool Borough Council are set to see their pay packets rise to a level similar to that of the Prime Minister after a motion asking to delay them for a year was defeated.

Coun Peter Callow, who tabled the motion at the meeting of the full council yesterday (February 28), called the Labour councillors "contemptuous" and the pay rises "obscene."

But the council leader Coun George Bancroft says it is all part of a "productivity package" which will save the council tens of thousands.

Some of the executive members will now see their pay rise to a level of almost £100,000 per year.

The motion tabled requested the newly created posts of executive director and chief executive of the council should not see these pay rises till April 1 2002, but it was defeated by a Labour majority.

The motion proposed that in regard to the "council's current financial position which has necessitated the closure of council care homes, compulsory staff redundancies, the non-filling of posts and other economy measures, the council directs that the new pay structure shall not be implemented till April 1 2002." Coun Callow said the people of the town were angry about "these obscene pay rises" and that the council being "contemptuous of the public" in the light of the cash crisis facing the council.

He added that the council should "take the risk of these people leaving" by not increasing the wages.

Coun George Bancroft said after the meeting that he did not agree with this point of view.

"There are several officers here that I would not like to lose," he said."When we brought in outside consultants, they told us our salaries were not competitive and I want to avoid the scenario of having officers which are valuable to the council being head-hunted."

He also added that the restructuring meant that instead of having five directors and a chief executive, the council now has only three directors and a chief executive which he says will save the council £120,000 in wages in the first year alone.

"At the end of the day, it is also important to remember that the pay rise for the chief executive in actual cash is less than £3,000 which is less than 3 per cent -- that is not obscene."