This week, the TPA published the 16th edition of our Town Hall Rich List, detailing all council employees with total remuneration over £100,000 in 2021-22. Our Rich List has become a massive hit with the media, politicians, and the public alike. It’s the only research of its kind that exposes the princely pay packets collected by council kingpins.
With council tax and the cost of living soaring for Brits across the country, our Rich List could not have been more timely. Our findings showed at least 2,759 local authority employees received more than £100,000. 721 of them received over £150,000!
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Westminster council took the title for most employees receiving over £100,000 with an extraordinary 50 members of staff!
Topping the table as the UK’s highest remunerated council employee was the managing director of Guildford council who raked in a jaw-dropping £607,633! In Sunderland, the executive director of neighbourhoods got £573,550 whilst in Scotland, North Lanarkshire’s executive director (enterprise and communities) took home £536,530.
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Sadly, it’s very likely that the figures we’ve uncovered are understating the situation. 47 councils have failed to produce even draft accounts, despite a statutory requirement to do so by 31st July 2022. Had the figures been disclosed, we estimate the true number would have been closer to 3,126 individuals on more than £100,000.
In the first of two major op-eds, this one for the Telegraph, our chief executive John O’Connell called out this lack of transparency: “This is creating an accountability crisis in town halls across the country which should not be dismissed.” Councils cannot be allowed to hide information from local taxpayers and must come clean on their senior salaries!
We’re calling on all councils to get a grip on these mega-pay deals and freeze council tax for local ratepayers. If you agree, sign our petition here.
The Town Hall Rich List is one of the most important things we do each year. We’re completely reliant on the generosity of our supporters to keep producing this kind of in-depth research that makes such an impact.
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Unsurprisingly, our research dominated the headlines and our spokesmen were all over the airwaves. The Rich List was front page news in the Express, where our researcher Tom Ryan wrote a comment piece showcasing our findings. Featured in the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Times, Sun, and hundreds of local papers, it’s clear how important this information is for local taxpayers across the country.
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The jewel in the crown came with a full page comment piece for the Daily Mail, in which John rightly slammed councils who complain of funding cuts whilst handing out such extravagant packages to senior staff. As one government minister put it to us after reading the piece: “You guys are the only ones who produce reports that real people care about.”
TPA voices also dominated news reports across TV and radio. First up was our investigations campaign manager, Elliot Keck, who spoke to Julia Hartley-Brewer on TalkTV. Elliot targeted the councils who have failed to get their accounts in on time, blasting: “Taxpayers, people who are facing record rate rises, are not able to look at how much people are being paid.”
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Our digital campaign manager, Joe Ventre, hammered our message home when he spoke to Mike Graham, telling viewers: “To think that the people who are running what are quite often poor services can be rewarded in this way, I think is highly damaging.”
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And that’s before we mention the numerous news bulletins, including the BBC, who picked up our report. Without a doubt, our Town Hall Rich List made a real splash.
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Off the back of our findings, we’ll soon be hitting the road with our Town Hall Rich List Roadshow.
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As one of the few national groups who pride ourselves on our grassroots campaigning, we can’t wait to share our research with people in every corner of the country. Watch this space for details of when we’ll be coming to an area near you!
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10 takeaways from THRL 2023
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Of course, not everyone has time to read reams of newspaper coverage! TPA research intern Callum McGoldrick cuts to the heart of the research and brings us ten things you need to know. Callum’s taken a look beneath the headlines and highlighted the stats to have in your back pocket next time your local councillors come knocking!
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From the 165 council officials receiving more than Rishi Sunak; to Bristol offering the highest base salary of £280,634; this blog is one not to be missed. Click here to read it in full.
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And last but not least...
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Benjamin Elks
Operations Manager
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