The chief executive of Moray Council will see her annual salary increase from £140,136 to £173,217, a rise of 23.5%, following the implementation of a new national pay framework for Scottish council leaders.
Karen Greaves, who assumed the post in spring 2025, is among 32 chief executives across Scotland whose remuneration is being adjusted under a structure agreed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the representative body for Scotland’s local authorities. The changes represent the first comprehensive review of chief executive pay since 2001.
National Framework Review
The revised pay framework sets chief executive salaries between £165,755 and £230,620, with remuneration determined primarily by council population size and the complexity of services delivered. Under the new structure, Greaves will become the 26th highest-paid council chief executive in Scotland. Glasgow City Council’s chief executive will remain the highest paid at £230,620 annually, whilst the leaders of Scotland’s four smallest authorities – Clackmannanshire, Eilean Siar, Shetland, and Orkney – will each receive £165,755.
The salary increases, which average approximately £19,000 or 12.5% across Scotland, will be phased in over 12 months, with full implementation by November 2026. The largest percentage increases, up to 23.4%, are being awarded to chief executives of smaller, island councils.
Defending the increase, Greaves stated: “COSLA has set out the method of calculation and the changes in the role since the previous review in 2001, which has resulted in Moray becoming aligned with the rest of Scotland”.
She added: “Council population sizes, a key component of the pay framework, have changed and Chief Executive pay has not kept pace with internal or wider public sector levels, creating challenges in recruitment and retention”.
Scope of Responsibilities
Greaves emphasised the breadth of responsibilities carried by council chief executives in justifying the salary adjustment. “Across Scotland, council Chief Executives, as heads of the paid service, are accountable for the delivery of hundreds of diverse and vital public services,” she said.
“Almost 100,000 citizens in Moray rely on these every single day – from education and childcare, housing, social work and care, to roads and transport, waste and recycling, and leisure and culture. All of this is delivered within the council’s annual budget of around £290m”.
Moray Council serves approximately 95,000 residents across the region, with headquarters in Elgin. The council employs around 4,790 staff, equivalent to approximately 3,560 full-time positions.
The salary increase comes as Moray Council confronts significant financial pressures. The authority set a balanced budget for 2025/26 without drawing on reserves, marking a shift from recent years when reserve funds were used to bridge funding gaps. However, efficiency savings totalling £10.9 million are required over the next three years (2025/26 to 2027/28) to maintain financial balance.
The council’s Medium to Longer Term Financial Strategy projects a potential budget gap ranging from a surplus of £28.6 million to a deficit of £107.5 million over the ten-year period to 2034/35, depending on various scenarios. Mid-range projections indicate a budget gap of £41.4 million over the decade.
Moray Council has delivered recurring savings of almost £80 million since 2010/11. Recent budget decisions have included operational service reductions, including library services and leisure facilities, removing some posts, and increasing charges for some services.
The chief executive pay adjustments contrast with pay settlements for other council workers. Local government staff across Scotland received a 4% increase for 2025/26 and are set to receive 3.5% for 2026/27, following negotiations between COSLA and trade unions.
Union representatives have criticised the disparity. STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer commented that workers “yet again, can see that when it comes to pay, it’s one rule for the bosses and another rule for everyone else”. GMB and Unite unions described the increases as “rubbing salt into the wounds” of ordinary workers.
