Over the past two decades the TaxPayers’ Alliance has held all levels of government to account for its use of public money, including scrutinising staffing costs. This principle underpins our rich lists, which detail the remuneration of the highest paid people across the public sector.[1],[2] As taxpayer funded authorities, it should also apply to municipal government.
The Greater London Authority (GLA) is one of the largest local authorities in the UK, which includes several well-known bodies and is led by a powerful mayor. These include the London Fire Brigade, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and Group (this includes the Metropolitan Police), and Transport for London (TfL). Sadiq Khan, the current mayor of London, has complained about financial difficulties he faces, while the staffing costs of City Hall employees have risen by 67 per cent, from £50.4 million in 2016-17 to £84.2 million in 2021-22.[3] At the same time, the mayor has increased the band D council tax precept from £276 in 2016-17 to £396 in 2022-23, and £434 in 2023-24 for the GLA, an increase of 57 per cent since 2016-17.[4] In 2023-24 alone, it increased by almost ten per cent.
This note identifies the employees working for the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, London Fire Brigade and Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and Group whose total remuneration exceeds £100,000.
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Key findings
- In 2022-23, the GLA and its subsidiary bodies employed at least 1,146 people who received over £100,000 in total remuneration. Of these, 143 employees received over £150,000. In 2018-19, 655 employees received over £100,000 of which 155 collected over £150,000.
- In 2022-23, the body with the highest number of employees with remuneration more than £100,000 was Transport for London with 772. Transport for London also had the highest number of employees receiving more than £150,000, with 84.
- The highest remunerated employee in 2022-23 was the chief programme officer at Crossrail, Jim Crawford, who received £499,447 in total remuneration. Of this, £306,900 was salary, fees and allowances. A further £191,088 was compensation for loss of office.
- The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, received £171,587 in total remuneration in 2022-23, with £1,159 consisting of expenses claims. In 2018-19, Mr Khan received £150,644 in total remuneration. This is an increase of almost £21,000 or 14 per cent.
- Including the mayor of London and statutory deputy mayor, the total remuneration for the mayoral team in 2022-23 was £2,174,374, an average of £144,958 per person.
- The number of employees at the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and Group who received total remuneration of over £100,000 has almost quadrupled compared to 2018-19, totalling 301 in 2022-23.
- Bonuses and benefits in kind totalled £418,274 in 2022-23. The largest went to Howard Smith, chief operating officer for the Elizabeth line, receiving £71,740 in bonuses and benefits in kind.
- The total compensation for loss of office for senior officers across the GLA and its subsidiaries was over £1,500,000 across ten senior officers. The average loss of office payment was almost £152,000. The largest loss of office payment was to Mark Wild, the chief executive officer of Crossrail, who received £393,777 in loss of office compensation.
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[1] TaxPayers’ Alliance, Town Hall Rich List 2023, April 2023, www.taxpayersalliance.com/town_hall_rich_list_2023, (accessed 28 February 2024).
[2] TaxPayers’ Alliance, Public Sector Rich List, www.taxpayersalliance.com/public_sector_rich_list, (accessed 28 February 2024).
[3] London Assembly, Staff Costs, 28 March 2023, www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/staff-costs-2, (accessed 28 February 2024).
[4] Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Band D Council Tax figures 1993 onwards (revised): Live Table, assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64674932628371000c3a88a7/CTR_Table__live__-_Band_D_2023-24__REVISED_.ods, (accessed 28 February 2024).