Introduction
The 2020 edition of the Town Hall Rich List marks the 13th version of this list, first compiled in 2007. For the past 13 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.
For the average (band D) property, taxpayers in England will have to pay a council tax rise of 3.9 per cent or an extra £68 per year in 2020-21.[1] Scots will see an average rise of 4.5 per cent[2] whilst in Wales, they will increase by an average of 3.4 per cent.[3]
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.
Click here to read the report.
Click here for council-by-council breakdown of data.
Key findings
- At least 2,667 people employed by local authorities in 2018-19 received more than £100,000, an increase of 226 on 2017-18. 667 received over £150,000, 60 more than the previous year.
- The average number of employees who received over £100,000 in total remuneration per local authority is 6.9. This is up by one person per council on last year’s average. The average number receiving over £150,000 is 1.7 employees per council.
- The local authority with the greatest number of employees whose remuneration was in excess of £100,000 was Essex council with 35 employees. Glasgow had the highest number of employees receiving over £150,000 at 12.
- The highest remunerated council employee in 2018-19 was the chief officer for health and social care at North Lanarkshire council, receiving £615,550 in total remuneration. This included a pension payment of £350,116, loss of office payment of £119,401 and salary of £146,033.
- A total of 32 local authority employees received remuneration in excess of a quarter of a million pounds in 2018-19. This was four more than the previous year.
- The local authority to pay out the highest amount in terms of bonuses and performance related pay to a senior employee was Edinburgh council, with the managing director receiving a £47,817 bonus.
- Total expenses paid to senior employees in the UK amounted to £768,930, with the highest amount (£19,170) being claimed by Peter Duthie, CEO of Scottish Event Campus Ltd.
- A total of 25 local authority employees received a loss of office payment of more than £95,000, the proposed cap on payoffs for public sector employees. While this cap has been put into law, the government has yet to implement it.
Click here to read the report.
Click here for council-by-council breakdown of data.
[1] Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2020 to 2021. 25 March 2020, www.gov.uk/government/statistics/council-tax-levels-set-by-local-authorities-in-england-2020-to-2021, (accessed 27 March 2019).
[2] Scottish Government. Scottish Council tax 2020/21 - What Will You Be Charged?, 9 March 2020, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51714512, (accessed 27 March 2020).
[3] StasWales. Annual increase in average band D council tax, by billing authority, https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Local-Government/Finance/Council-Tax/Levels/annualpercentageincreaseinaveragebanddcounciltax-by-billingauthority, (accessed 27 March 2020).