Ambulance boss defends £232,000 salary

That is the claim of the £232,000-a-year West Midlands Ambulance Service boss, Anthony Marsh whose salary has come under fire since he took over responsibility for a second trust.

The chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service and East of England Ambulance Service found himself on the receiving end of criticism from an MP in a live radio phone-in.

Mr Marsh had been prepared to take calls from the public on BBC Radio Suffolk to discuss how he is working to turn around the struggling East of England service he was appointed to run in January, alongside his existing job in the West Midlands.

But Mr Marsh's first caller was West Bromwich East MP Tom Watson, who has heavily criticised the decision of the trusts to increase Mr Marsh's pay by £50,000 a year. He also hit out at the £400 a week taxi bill for taking Mr Marsh between his home in Bridgnorth and the East of England.

Ambulance chiefs say Mr Marsh saves taxpayers £100,000 a year by doing the work of two chief executives.

Mr Watson said: "People in the West Midlands say they're extremely concerned that the strategic targets are not being met. Do you think your attention might be focussed too much on the East of England?"

Mr Marsh replied: "The responsibilities I have are huge. I'm working far too many hours to be perfectly honest with you." Mr Watson hit back: "Does that not mean the current arrangements are unsustainable?"

Mr Marsh said: "They were only interim anyway. There's a really good team working in the West Midlands."