By Richard Johnstone | 5 August 2014
Council managers paid more than £100,000 by UK local authorities fell by 5% in 2012/13 to 2,181, according to an analysis of local authority accounts by the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
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The campaign group found that these six-figure remuneration packages cost the taxpayer nearly £300m a year, and despite the overall fall, 93 town halls increased the number of employees in the pay bracket.
Publishing the figures, TPA chief executive Jonathan Isaby said it was good for local taxpayers that the number of senior council staff making more than £100,000 a year was falling.
But he added: ‘Sadly, too many local authorities are still increasing the number of highly paid staff on their payroll.
‘Taxpayers expect their council to be filling potholes, not pay packets. Many rank-and-file staff in local councils will be equally appalled – at a time when councils across the country are freezing pay, it appears the money they're saving is being used to line the pockets of town hall tycoons.’
According to the Town Hall Rich List report, 542 council employees had remuneration over £150,000 across the UK in 2012/13, and 34 of those had pay deals in excess of £250,000.
There were 52 councils with at least 10 employees receiving more than £100,000 in 2012/13, while the council with the most employees earning over £100,000 was Glasgow City Council, with 32.
Responding to the report, a Local Government Association spokesman said the salaries for senior officers in local government were continuing to fall.
‘In the past four years local government has made significant savings to senior pay, reduced council tax in real terms and managed the biggest cuts to local service budgets in living memory,’ he added.
‘Senior managers are responsible for overseeing vital life-and-limb services like child safeguarding and adult social care where there can be no margin for error. Their pay is set to balance this level of responsibility with the need to offer good value for taxpayers’ money.’
