Royal Mail chief 'earned near £1m'

Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier earned almost £1 million last year, according to new figures

Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier earned almost £1 million last year, according to new figures.

Figures obtained by ITV1's Tonight programme show Mr Crozier's pay was made up of £633,000 in salary, a £139,000 bonus and a further £17,000 in benefits, plus a £206,000 cash supplement in place of a pension payment.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said Mr Crozier's pay was less than the year before despite the business doubling its profits in the same period.

Royal Mail is currently embroiled in a series of postal strikes which has seen millions of items of mail caught up in a huge backlog.

Mr Crozier's £995,000 pay packet in the 2008/09 financial year made him the second highest earning public sector boss. Channel 4 boss Kevin Lygo was top, earning £1,136,000 in the same period.

Mr Lygo, who began his career as a comedy scriptwriter and worked with the likes of the Two Ronnies, was paid a salary of £773,000. He also received £12,000 in benefits and a bonus of £350,000.

Channel 4 chairman Luke Johnson said Mr Lygo had volunteered to take a pay cut.

He told ITV's Tonight programme: "Last year's total income for him included a long-term incentive plan, which was a bonus spread over several years all payable in one year.

"The truth of the matter is I am sure that if Channel 4 could recruit the best talent, at less money, I would be more than happy to recommend that. But we believe that we need the best people and we have to compete against the likes of ITV and Sky who offer people options, they offer people significantly more money and in truth you know we pay the market rate because otherwise I don't think we would get the best."

The Tonight programme is on ITV1 at 8pm on Monday night