WHAT have they got to hide? Council chiefs are refusing to reveal how big a pay rise they have handed to their chief executive.

Brad Roynon will earn between £127,131 and £145,880 in the next year. His previous annual salary was between £110,787 and £127,131.

But they will not say by what percentage his money will increase.

Union leaders have condemned the secrecy surrounding the rise, announced as they prepare to ballot members on whether they should seek an extra £2,000 living allowance payment.

Barry Olson, deputy branch secretary of Unison in Southampton, said: "I can't see what all the secrecy is about. Our pay award increase is public knowledge as it was a nationally agreed figure. You would at least expect their level of increase to be public knowledge too."

Mr Olson, whose union represents 3,000 council employees, said Mr Roynon's pay increase represented "poor timing".

The union's members including social workers, planners, environmental health officers and gardeners, last month voted against their 8.9 per cent increase over the next three years.

However, the agreement was accepted nationally and now the Southampton branch is campaigning for a £2,000 allowance to help workers cope with the high cost of living in the city.

"We want to see fair pay for all workers. It's poor timing for the chief executives pay to be agreed when we voted against our own pay deal last month," said Mr Olson.

The branch is due to ballot members on whether they should seek a living allowance in October.

Mr Roynon refused to comment on his new pay scale and a Southampton City Council spokesman said it was not the council's policy to talk about an individual's salary. They refused to reveal what percentage rise Mr Roynon had had.

However a council statement said it could take a number of years for an individual to reach the top of their pay scale.

There are broad guidelines for the salaries of council chief executives and senior officers but it is down to individualauthorities to agree the finer details.

A four-member all party employment panel, chaired by Conservative Councillor Terence Matthews, accepted the proposals for Mr Roynon's revised pay scale.

Other members are Liberal Democrats Peter Galton and Norah Goss, and Labour's Peter Marsh-Jenks.

Cllr Matthews said: "When you look at the fact Mr Roynon's pay has not been increased for a couple of years, and the pay scale is up until 2006, I think it is fully justified.

"We looked at what other chief executives were earning and tried to keep Mr Roynon's pay in line with what others are earning.

"We have to do that to ensure we attract the best people and get them to stay."