TaxPayers’ Alliance: Town Hall Rich List 2021: 2,802 staff received over £100,000 despite unpopular council tax rises

• Town Hall Rich List 2021 finds the number of officials receiving more than £100,000 went up to 2,802 by the onset of the covid pandemic.

• With families now facing higher council tax bills, new polling shows the overwhelming majority oppose increases by a 4-to-1 margin. 6 in 10 say councils should freeze or cut top salaries to help keep bills down.

• TaxPayers’ Alliance provides a council-by-council breakdown, calling on all local authorities to stop council tax rises and cut down on wasteful spending.
• As households across the country face increased council tax, the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) today publishes its annual Town Hall Rich List, the only comprehensive list of its kind with a council-by-council breakdown of local government executive pay deals.

At the onset of the coronavirus crisis, the number of council staff receiving more than £100,000 had increased by 135 to at least 2,802 people, with 693 receiving over £150,000 (26 more than the previous year). While councils were plunged into tackling the pandemic, households have faced crushing council tax rises, leading taxpayers to question whether their council’s leadership have delivered good value for money.

New public opinion data released alongside Town Hall Rich List 2021 finds the overwhelming majority of people oppose council tax increases by a 4-to-1 margin, with working class voters considerably more opposed. The recent polling found widespread agreement that there were ways to help keep council tax down, including 59 per cent of respondents believing that councils should freeze or cut salaries of senior staff.

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Key findings:

• At least 2,802 people employed by local authorities in 2019-20 received more than £100,000 in total remuneration, an increase of 135 on 2018-19. It is also the highest number since 2013-14.

• 693 received over £150,000, 26 more than the previous year.

• The average number of employees who received over £100,000 in total remuneration per local authority is seven. The average number receiving over £150,000 is 1.7 employees per council.

• A total of 21 local authority employees received a loss of office payment of more than £95,000, the cap on payoffs for public sector employees. This cap was briefly in force between 4 November 2020 and 12 February 2021 and did not cover the period of this year’s Town Hall Rich List. It has since been revoked.
  
  

UK’s highest paying councils:

• For the third year running, the local authority with the greatest number of employees whose remuneration was in excess of £100,000 was Essex county council with 40 employees, five more than the previous year.

• For the second year running, Glasgow had the highest number of employees receiving over £150,000 at 14, two more than the previous year.

• The highest remunerated council employee in 2019-20 was the deputy chief executive at Coventry council, receiving £573,660 in total remuneration. This included a loss of office payment of £395,110 (the largest in the country), pension payment of £26,559, and salary of £151,991.

• The local authority to pay out the highest amount in terms of bonuses and performance related pay to a senior employee was Edinburgh city council, with the general manager of Edinburgh Trams receiving a £48,895 bonus.

• Total expenses paid to senior employees in the UK amounted to £1,274,497, with the highest amount (£38,043) being claimed by Simon Baker, the now former chief executive of High Peak borough council.
  
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Key polling data:

The overwhelming majority of people oppose a council tax increase.

• The public are deeply hostile to council tax rises – and this is felt particularly amongst working class audiences.

• 61 per cent of people said they would oppose an above-inflation council tax increase this year, compared to 15 per cent who would support it. By 64 per cent to 16 per cent, C2 voters said they opposed an above-inflation council tax increase, with DEs opposing it by 65 per cent to 8 per cent. ABs opposed it by a much narrower margin of 51 per cent to 25 per cent.

• By 74 per cent to 16 per cent, people think council tax should be frozen or cut. By 81 per cent to 12 per cent, C2s favour a freeze or cut, compared to 74 per cent to 11 per cent for DEs and 68 per cent to 23 per cent for ABs.

• There is little difference between Conservative and Labour voters: by 79 per cent to 15 per cent, Conservative 2019 voters favour a freeze or cut, compared to 72 per cent to 18 per cent for Labour 2019 voters.
  
  

There is widespread agreement that there are ways to keep council tax down and maintain good council performance.

• 59 per cent of people support the idea that councils should freeze or cut salaries of senior staff, while 45 per cent of the public also believe that this would have an impact in keeping council tax down.

• Asked about the general effectiveness of the chief executive of their local council, 31 per cent of people didn’t know whether they were effective, rising to 39 per cent of DEs.

• 44 per cent of people say their council's performance is average, compared to 28 per cent who say it performs well.

• The top three biggest issues for people as they consider who to vote for in the next local elections will be perceptions of their local council’s general competence (36 per cent), how much money they waste (32 per cent) and council tax levels (31 per cent).
  
  

Council tax is particularly disliked.

• Given a list of taxes that could go up, just 10 per cent of people said they thought council tax should rise. This compares to 67 per cent for tobacco duties, 53 per cent alcohol duties, 29 per cent inheritance tax, 27 per cent stamp duty and 23 per cent income tax.

• Only the TV licence fee was viewed as less fair. 40 per cent of people said council tax was unfair, compared to 54 per cent saying the TV licence fee, 38 per cent inheritance tax, 34 per cent fuel tax, 25 per cent VAT, and 24 per cent income tax.

• 45 per cent of C2s and 44 per cent of DEs said council tax was unfair, while 42 per cent of 2019 Conservative and Labour voters said it was unfair.

• Asked whether people support a new property tax being brought in to replace council tax, around 30% supported and 28% opposed it.
  

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The 14th annual Town Hall Rich List is a vital tool for taxpayers wanting to judge which authorities are delivering the best value for money. This is especially important for residents facing squeezed household budgets during the current coronavirus crisis, with council tax charges going up across the country from 6th April. This is in spite of deep public opposition to and the widespread belief that senior salaries should be frozen or cut.

With council tax in England more than doubling in the last 20 years, the TaxPayers’ Alliance is calling on local authorities to stop council tax rises and cut down on wasteful spending by scrapping pet projects and pay rises for town hall executives.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:

“Taxpayers facing huge and hated council tax rises want to know they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership.

“At the onset of the coronavirus crisis, thousands of town hall officials were taking home huge sums. While councils were plunged into tackling the pandemic, many staff will have more than earned their keep, but households have nevertheless struggled with enormous and unpopular council tax rises.

“These figures shine a light on the town hall bosses who’ve got it right, and will enable residents to hold those who aren’t delivering value for money to account.”

TPA spokesmen are available for live and pre-recorded broadcast interviews via 07795 084 113 (no texts)

Regional breakdown:

In the East Midlands:

• The local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Lincolnshire with 16.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Bolsover's joint chief executive - £268,554.
  
  

In the East of England:

• The local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Essex with 40.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Southend-On-Sea's deputy chief executive - £278,350.
  
  

In London:

• The local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Westminster with 35.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Haringey's director of housing & regeneration planning - £425,518.
  
  

In the North East:

• The local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Northumberland with 13.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Redcar and Cleveland's chief executive - £438,446.

In the North West:

• For the second year running, the local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Cheshire West and Chester with 19, two more than the previous year.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Knowsley's assistant executive director (governance) - £428,263.

In Northern Ireland:

• The local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Mid and East Antrim with 8.

• For the fourth year running, the biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Belfast’s chief executive - £170,288.
  
  

In Scotland:

• The local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Edinburgh with 28.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Edinburgh's managing director of Lothian Buses - £340,553.
  
  

In the South East:

• For the third year running, the local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Kent with 29.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by West Sussex's chief executive - £427,653.
  
  

In the South West:

• The local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Dorset with 18.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Wiltshire's executive director adult care, public health, digital - £305,486.
  
  

In Wales:

• The local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Swansea with 17.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Cardiff’s chief executive - £222,822.
  
  

In the West Midlands:

• For the third year running, the local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Birmingham with 19.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by Coventry’s deputy chief executive (place) - £573,660. This individual was the highest paid local council employee in the UK. This individual also received the single largest compensation payout for loss of office - £395,110.
  
  

In Yorkshire and the Humber:

• For the third year running, the local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2019-20 was Leeds with 18.

• The biggest remuneration package in this region was received by York’s chief executive - £222,942.
  
  

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