Town Hall Rich List 2024 marks the 17th edition of this research, first compiled in 2007. For the past 17 years the TaxPayers’ Alliance has assembled the most comprehensive list of council employees in the UK in receipt of over £100,000 in total remuneration in a single financial year.
For the average (band D) property, taxpayers in England will have to pay a council tax rise of 5.1 per cent, or an extra £106, in 2024-25.[1] In Wales, there will be an average in increase of 7.7 per cent, or an extra £145.[2] All Northern Ireland local authorities will see an increase in 2024-25.[3] A majority of councils in Scotland have frozen council tax for 2024-25 after the Scottish government committed to provide £147 million in funding, equivalent to a five per cent council tax rise.[4]
Against this background, the number of local authority employees receiving over £100,000 in total remuneration has risen to the highest level since 2013-14.[5]
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Key findings
- At least 3,106 people employed in local authorities in 2022-23 received total remuneration of at least £100,000, this is an increase of 347 on 2021-22. Of these 829 received at least £150,000, 108 more than the previous year. This is the largest number of people in receipt of at least £150,000 since the Town Hall Rich List began in 2007.
- In 2022-23, at least 175 council employees received more than £200,00 in total remuneration.
- The prime minister had a salary entitlement of £164,951 in 2022-23.[6],[7] 188 council employees had a higher salary than this, with 557 receiving total remuneration in excess of this.
- A total of 59 councils did not provide accounts for 2022-23.
- There are an average of nine council employees receiving at least £100,000 per council, this means that the estimated total would be 3,637 had all councils provided accounts.
- In 2022-23, the local authority with the most employees receiving at least £100,000 in total remuneration was Westminster with 60 staff, ten more than the previous year.
- The highest remunerated council employee was the now former director of culture, community and business services at Hampshire council, Felicity Roe, who received £651,158 in total remuneration. This included a pension payment of £409,822, loss of office payment of £121,203 and salary of £120,133.
- The largest bonus given was to the chief executive of Edinburgh International Conference Centre, a subsidiary of Edinburgh council, M Dallas, who received a payment of £72,280.
- Local authorities which were abolished at the end of 2022-23 to create new unitary authorities at the start of 2023-24 had compensation for loss of office payments totaling £1.35 million.
- Two councils, Bolsover and West Oxfordshire, had no employees receiving over £100,000 in 2022-23.
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[1] Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, Council Tax levels set by local authorities: England 2024-25, 21 March 2024, www.gov.uk/government/statistics/council-tax-levels-set-by-local-authorities-in-england-2024-to-2025/council-tax-levels-set-by-local-authorities-in-england-2024-to-2025, (accessed 28 March 2024).
[2] StatsWales, Annual increase in average band D council tax, by billing authority, statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Local-Government/Finance/Council-Tax/Levels/annualpercentageincreaseinaveragebanddcounciltax-by-billingauthority, (accessed 28 March 2024).
[3] BBC, NI Rates: How much will your household rates increase by?, 15 February 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-68277018, (accessed 28 March 2024).
[4] Meighan, C., Is your council tax going up or being frozen?, STV News, 11 March 2024, news.stv.tv/politics/scotland-is-your-council-tax-going-up-or-being-frozen, (accessed 28 March 2024).
[5] TaxPayers’ Alliance Town Hall Rich List 2015, , 2015.
[6] Cabinet Office, Salaries of members of His Majesty’s Government: April 2022, Gov.uk, 15 December 2022, www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data/salaries-of-members-of-his-majestys-government-april-2022-html, (accessed 28 March 2024).
[7] Kelly, R., Members’ pay and expenses and ministerial salaries 2022-23, House of Commons Library, 2023.