Record number of council leaders earn six-figure salaries
Nearly 5,000 council executives earned six-figure salaries in the last year, according to analysis showing that 320 individuals received more than the Prime Minister’s salary of £173,153, reports BritPanorama.
The data reveals that the number of local authority chiefs earning over £100,000 reached 4,733, marking the highest level since 2007 and representing a more than 21 per cent increase from the previous year. Additionally, the number of council bosses with salaries surpassing £150,000 hit a record high of 1,255.
One notable case involved an unnamed local authority chief in Staffordshire who was awarded a remuneration package of £457,500 last year. This comes amid continuous annual increases in council tax, typically set at 4.99 per cent each year.
Meanwhile, councils employ significantly more senior managers compared to the National Health Service (NHS). Six councils that issued Section 114 bankruptcy notices since 2020 reported having 124 employees earning upwards of £100,000.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, stated, “Taxpayers are caught in a pincer movement with a record-breaking tax burden on one side and a bloated public sector feathering its nest on the other. Our latest Town Hall Rich List exposes a surging class of council bosses enjoying six-figure packages, even as they plead poverty, slash frontline services, and hike council tax bills far beyond inflation.”
O’Connell added, “Residents can see exactly how many local bureaucrats are receiving plush packages and judge for themselves whether they’re getting value for money.”
Reform UK deputy and head of its department of government efficiency, Richard Tice, remarked, “This staggering analysis exposes the mess Reform UK has been left to clean up in councils across Britain.”
This ongoing revelation of large salaries juxtaposed with persistent budgetary constraints raises questions about the management practices in local governance and the accountability of public sector spending.
