Good morning,
This week the TaxPayers’ Alliance published the fifteenth edition of our landmark Town Hall Rich List. It’s the only research of its kind that details all council employers receiving remuneration in excess of £100,000.
Brits face a cost of living crisis and council tax council bills have shot up for millions of households. Yet our findings reveal that 2,921 local authority bosses received more than ÂŁ100,000 in 2020-21 - an increase from the previous year. Of those, 739 got more than ÂŁ150,000!Â
|
|
Some of the figures we have unearthed are frankly beyond belief. Jo Negrini, the former chief executive of Croydon council, topped the list with remuneration of ÂŁ613,895. Under her watch, the council racked up huge debts on failed pet projects which ultimately led to bankruptcy.
Similarly, bosses from Northumberland, Glasgow and Hampshire enjoyed remuneration in excess of half a million pounds - all during the pandemic, as millions struggled to keep their heads above water.
This is why the Town Hall Rich List is a vital piece of research. It holds town hall bosses to account and allows local residents to judge for themselves if they are getting value for money.
|
|
|
Town Hall Rich List dominates national and local press
|
|
|
It’s perhaps no wonder then that our findings featured far and wide in the media, in local newspapers from Cornwall to Clackmannanshire, and across the national newspaper front pages
In the Daily Express, TPA researcher Tom Ryan who compiled the research wrote a stinging op-ed, rightly pointing out that some of these payments “are almost unbelievable.”
|
|
|
But it wasn’t just in print media where we stole the headlines. The TPA was also heard loud and clear on the airwaves across Britain. Our research featured around-the-clock on radio news bulletins across all regions.
|
|
|
Speaking to GBNews, our campaign manager Danielle Boxall laid out the facts. When asked if councils were cut to the bone, she pointed out that many still find the cash to send staff on jollies to the South of France!
|
|
Something I very much echoed when I spoke to talkRADIO listeners just a couple of hours later. Councils claim that there is no more fat left to trim, but some are bucking the trend and not hiking taxes. It can be done by being relentless on wasteful spending and inefficiency.
Our message is reaching the whole country and many millions of taxpayers agree with us.
|
|
|
Top 10 takeaways from Town Hall Rich List 2022
|
|
|
|
Delving further into the data, our investigations manager Elliot Keck has compiled a useful blog on 10 things you need to know about Town Hall Rich List 2022.
|
|
One stat that immediately leaps out is how this edition compares to the very first. The number of officials earning over ÂŁ150,000 has increased ten-fold since the Town Hall Rich List was first published. In 2007 there were 64 council officials earning above ÂŁ150,000, compared to 739 in the 2020-21 financial year.Â
There are now more council officials on over ÂŁ150,000 than there were total officials on over ÂŁ100,000. Click here to read more.
|
|
And to help visualise our findings, we’ve made a simple to use interactive map so you can see how your council performed compared to the rest of the country.
It’s also worth noting that not all councils have published data for 2020-21. So it is very likely that more than 3,000 council bosses received over £100,000.
|
|
The whole country needs councils to prioritise key services without resorting to punishing tax hikes. Accountability is key. We need to get this information to as many people as possible.
So please forward this email to your friends and family. By working together, we can help local people call out overpriced town hall pay packets.
|
|
If you haven’t done so already, please sign our petition to Stop Council Tax Rises. The way things are going the average council tax bill will soar past £2,000 next year. It has to stop. Make your voice heard!
As Britain’s waste watchdog, the TaxPayers’ Alliance will continue to hold local authority bosses to account.
Thank you for your support,
|
|
Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
|
|
|
|
|
