Ex Wandsworth Chief Exec Earned More Than Twice The PM

Recent figures show 43% of Town Hall Chiefs Earn More Than David Cameron

Town hall chiefs in Britain are raking in bigger salaries than the country's Prime Minister David Cameron, according to latest figures released here.

The Daily Express recently reported that the figures show that 43 percent of council officials earned more than 150,000 pounds last year in salaries and fees, compared to Cameron's 142,500 pounds a year.

A study by the Incomes Data Services (IDS) shows that the average earnings of 300 local authority chief executives is now £147,934.

The highest paid officer according to the Express was Gerald Jones, chief executive of the London Borough of Wandsworth, who received a total pay package of £299,925.   This was in basic salary, fees and allowances plus a bonus of covering an 18-month performance period.  

However it should be pointed out that Gerald Jones has retired and his replacement Paul Martin took over the Chief Exec position in October 2010 - at the time of recruiting for the position the job was was advertised with a salary “in the region of £200,000” plus performance-related pay.

At the other end of the scale, was West Somerset DC's Adrian Dyer, who was the lowest paid with a package of 62,261 pounds.

Nasreen Rahman, of IDS said, "With nearly half of all local authority chief executives earning more than the prime minister, town hall bosses will be facing tough questions from -council taxpayers in the current climate."

February 21, 2011