Good morning,
Millions of households across the country are facing another year of huge council tax bills. Many taxpayers wonder, where does the money go? This week the TaxPayers’ Alliance published the fourteenth edition of our annual Town Hall Rich List: the only list of its kind that shows all local authority employees receiving remuneration in excess of £100,000.
Our research reveals that, despite crushing council tax rises, the number of council staff receiving more than ÂŁ100,000 had increased by 135 since last year to at least 2,802. Of those 693 took home over ÂŁ150,000. Click here to read our findings in full.
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Thanks to a media blitz by the entire TPA team, Town Hall Rich List was covered extensively in Britain’s biggest newspapers such as the Daily Mail, The Sun, The Times, The Express, The Times, The i and the Metro. Journalists in the Daily Mail and Express even wrote comment pieces slamming councils for their profligacy. “Want your kids to get rich? Tell them to sign up at the town hall”, proclaimed journalist Stephen Glover!
But it wasn’t just the national press. Hundreds and hundreds of local newspapers brought the damning findings to local residents from Bangor to Billericay. On broadcast media, the TaxPayers’ Alliance filled the airwaves as we were heard on countless news bulletins.
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Speaking to Mike Graham on talkRadio, I explained why council tax rises and six-figure pay packets for bosses are so unjustifiable. Especially when you consider how low inflation has been in the last ten years.
I further echoed this point in my ConservativeHome column, saying, “It’s quite possible that in 2022-23, nearly two-thirds of English councils will be charging over £2,000. This can’t go on. Getting spending under control and reining in overly generous salaries is one of the surest ways to keep bills as low as possible.
People around the country are saying this. Our message is reaching millions and millions of taxpayers.
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TPA polling reveals big support for council tax freeze and pay cuts
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Writing for The Conservative Woman, our media campaign manager Danielle Boxall explains how polling for the TPA shows big support for our council tax campaigns. In polling commissioned specially for Town Hall Rich List, we found the public are deeply hostile to council tax rises, and this is felt particularly amongst working class audiences.
Almost 75 per cent of people said they think council tax should be frozen or cut this year. Let’s not forget that the average council tax bill in England is nearly £1,900! In just 20 years council tax bills have more than doubled in cash terms. No wonder then that 59 per cent of respondents support the idea that councils should freeze or cut salaries of senior staff, to help keep bills down.
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As Danielle rightly points out, "It’s a clear message to town halls to get a grip on waste such as these supersized pay packets before hitting residents with another round of hikes." She adds, "Councils simply can’t carry on patting themselves on the back while whacking up taxes. At every level of government, value for money has always and will always be important, but in times like these, it’s essential." Hear! Hear!
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How does your council compare in the Town Hall Rich List?
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As part of this Special Bulletin, we’ve prepared an exclusive interactive map so you can see how your council performed on our Town Hall Rich List 2021.
You can use our interactive heat map and download the complete spreadsheet of town hall data to find the highest-paid staff in your area. For example, Nottingham City Council employed nine staff receiving over ÂŁ100,000 despite having the highest council tax bills in the entire country this year!
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Key stats at a glance:
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For the third year in a row, Essex County Council had the greatest number of employees (40) with remuneration in excess of ÂŁ100,000
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For the second year running, Glasgow had the highest number of employees receiving over ÂŁ150,000 at 14, two more than the previous year.
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The highest remunerated council employee in 2019-20 was the deputy chief executive at Coventry council, receiving ÂŁ573,660 in total remuneration.
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Edinburgh city council paid out the highest bonus of ÂŁ48,895 to the general manager of Edinburgh Trams.
Share this map with your friends so they can see how their council compares:
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And it’s not just senior salaries! Haringey council has come under fire after a report suggested that it paid double the asking price for an office block. Audit papers show that the council valued the building at just over £10 million. But the council purchased the property for £22.6 million.
There are suggestions that the authority plans to convert the offices into residential accommodation. However, a previous application by a private developer was rejected after it was deemed the living spaces would be too small.
Like we’ve seen in Croydon and elsewhere, the whole saga begs the question, why are councils getting involved in the commercial property market? Secondly, if they have overpaid by many millions of pounds, who allowed this to happen?
Given Haringey council had 29 senior staff receiving over ÂŁ100,000 in remuneration for 2019-20, someone must have raised the alarm bell?
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Our grassroots network continues to grow, but we will need to do more to bring about the change we all want to see. Please forward this email to your friends and family. People power matters! Together we can put an end to preposterous pay hikes, endless waste and inflation-busting council tax rises.
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Second, and most importantly, please sign our petition to Stop Council Tax Rises. Local authorities are still splashing the cash on gold plated salaries for senior staff. But taxpayers have suffered yet another year of inflation-busting council tax rises. This has to stop! Tell town hall bosses that you’ve had enough - make your voice heard.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance is leading the charge on these issues. Taxpayers deserve value for money from their local authorities. We will continue to shine a light on underperforming town hall bosses and hold those who aren’t delivering value for money to account.
Thank you for your support,
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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