Politics
Nearly 3,000 town hall fatcats earned at least £100,000 each last year
NEARLY 3,000 town hall fatcats earned at least £100,000 each last year.
It comes as many struggling families are hit with crippling council tax increases.
Meanwhile many struggling families were hit with crippling council tax increases[/caption]
In all, 2,802 council bosses pocketed six-figure salaries — the highest number in six years. And 693 town hall chiefs received £150,000 or more — the highest in a decade.
The former deputy chief executive of Coventry council, Martin Yardley, was the highest paid, earning £573,660 in total in 2019/20.
This included pay and a bumper early retirement settlement. It is over three times as much as Boris Johnson takes home in a year.
Essex County Council had the largest number of staff on more than £100,000 with 40.
Mr Yardley took home three times as much as Boris Johnson makes in a year[/caption]
And Glasgow had the highest number of employees receiving more than £150,000 at 14.
But many councils across the country have announced council tax increases of up to five per cent.
John O’Connell, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, which carried out the research, 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.
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“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.”
A poll by the alliance found council tax is deeply unpopular among Britain’s voters.
Some 61 per cent said they opposed inflation-busting rises in the levy and 74 per cent said they think council tax should be frozen.
