Eleven council bosses earn £100,000 or more per year
A new report claims East Riding of Yorkshire Council has 11 members of staff taking home more than £100,000 – one of the highest numbers in Yorkshire.
Each year, the TaxPayers’ Alliance produces the Town Hall Rich List, a council-by-council breakdown of local government executive pay deals.
The 2022 report states that in the Yorkshire and Humber region, only Kirklees and Leeds councils have more people on six-figure sums, with East Riding’s highest amount coming in at £202,000.
It claims that the top package at County Hall goes to the chief executive, with a salary of £171,000 plus £5,000 expenses and a £26,000 pension contribution.
Five senior directors have six-figure salaries, which when pensions and expenses are added, amount to totals of between £145,000 and £157,000 per year.
The heads of finance and public health are both reported to earn £96,000 per year, with the extra contributions taking them to £115,000 and £114,000.
Three other undisclosed posts carry salaries of either £102,500 or £112,500, bringing the total number of staff taking home six-figure sums to 11.
Currently, East Riding Council is recruiting for the position of director of legal and democratic services and the successful candidate will be paid £114,924 per year.
It has also created three newly-established posts – director of specialist services, director of access and prevention and director of communities, wellbeing and safeguarding – all of which are being advertised with salaries of more than £87,000.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers facing a cost of living crisis want to know they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership.
“With households having suffered through the pandemic and now struggling under colossal tax bills, the country needs councils to prioritise key services without resorting to punishing tax hikes.
“These figures will allow residents to judge town hall bosses for themselves and hold their local councils to account.”
East Riding’s neighbouring authorities have fewer executives breaking the £100,000 barrier.
Hull City Council – six members of staff ranging from £187,823 to £107,500
Scarborough Borough Council – one member of staff earning £141,161
Ryedale District Council – one member of staff earning £135,023
Selby District Council – one member of staff earning £108,000
North Yorkshire County Council – 10, £212,667 to £102,500
Doncaster Borough Council – eight members of staff ranging from £197,443 to £108,842
City of York Council – five members of staff ranging from £171,122 to £115,121
Across the Humber Bridge, North East Lincolnshire Council has seven employees above the threshold and North Lincolnshire Council six.
The Town Hall Rich List was first compiled in 2007.
This year’s version says that in Yorkshire and the Humber, for the fourth year running, the local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2020-21 was Leeds with 26, eight more than the previous year.
The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Bradford’s chief executive – £228,350.
