Thanks to a pending agreement between the two major political parties in Spain, 14 mayors of provincial capital cities could see their salaries reduced. At present the said mayors receive over 67,055 euros a year in salary, which is the salary of a Spanish Secretary of State.

The Central Government wants to set salaries according to population and under no circumstance will they superior to a Secretary of State. This means that the mayors of Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valladolid, Valencia, San Sebastian, Vitoria, Málaga, Castellón, Burgos, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Huelva and Orense, will be affected.

The Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trías earns a staggering 109,939 euros per annum, without including his Christmas bonus. The Mayor of Madrid (the capital of the nation), Ana Botella, receives 94,703 euros p/a, whilst the Mayor of Zaragoza, Juan Alberto Belloch, receives 91,802 euros p/a. At the other end of the scale, the Mayor of Castellón ‘makes ends meet’ with 74,000 euros.

Compared with England, for example, an independent panel found the highest paid of the 15 English elected mayors was in Newham, with a salary of £81,029 (98,741 euros), whilst the lowest paid was on a salary of £53,151 (64,769 euros), in Mansfield.

(News: Spain)