DOZENS of council officers in Worcestershire were paid more than £100,000 last year.
Figures revealed by the Taxpayers’ Alliance show the financial packages given to the county’s best paid council employees.
County council chief executive Paul Robinson tops the list for Worcestershire, receiving total remuneration of £263,129.
This includes a basic salary of £201,549, a National Insurance contribution of £26,558 and pension contribution of £34,868, while he also claimed £154 in expenses.
An unnamed executive at the council was paid £202,500, according to the data.
By way of comparison, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will have been paid around £175,000 – a base MP salary that can rise to £98,599 plus a ministerial entitlement of around £80,000. He also receives benefits including residence at 10 Downing Street.
A total of 40 officers across Worcestershire’s seven councils had total remuneration packages worth more than £100,000.
John Leach, chief executive of Bromsgrove District Council and Redditch Borough Council, was paid a salary of £179,456 plus a pension contribution of £113.
As is the case for a number of other officers, the cost is shared equally between the two councils.
Vic Allison, joint chief executive of Wychavon and Malvern Hills district councils, received total remuneration of £185,613 including a salary of £156,609, pension contribution of £29,004 and ‘lease car alternative’ of £4,600.
Worcestershire County Council’s director of economy and infrastructure Rachel Hill received total remuneration of £192,849 – including a salary of £167,244.
The county council’s chief financial officer Phil Rook (total £159,336), assistant director for legal and governance Hazel Best (£156,728) and director of public health Lisa McNally (£155,503) are also on the list.
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: “Senior Leaders manage a wide range of essential frontline services across a large geographic area.
“Their remuneration reflects responsibility, scale and statutory risk, with salaries needing to be competitive with other public bodies.
“The council publishes its approach to the payment of our workforce via its Pay Policy Statement as approved by full council.
“We remain committed to being open and transparent about pay and information on chief officer remuneration is available within our Pay Policy and our annual Statement of Accounts on our website.”
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The highest paid officer at Worcester City Council was outgoing managing director David Blake, who received total remuneration of £154,959. He has now retired, with Lloyd Griffiths taking over on April 1.
A Worcester City Council spokesman said the authority is “open and transparent about the salaries of senior officers”.
“These are published at Worcester.gov.uk on the Local Government Transparency Code page,” they said.
“Elected councillors review the city council’s pay policy each year, and this is also published on our website.
“The policy sets out how pay levels are agreed within the terms of the Localism Act 2011 and other relevant legislation, and that the council is committed to balancing value for money with the need to recruit skilled and experienced officers to senior roles who can deliver and maintain the high quality essential services that the citizens of Worcester expect.”