Warwickshire County Council has highest number of employees earning over £100,000 in the West Midlands

Thirty-six employees at Warwickshire County Council earn more than £100,000 - making it the highest in the West Midlands region.

The figures have been released by TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) in its annual Town Hall Rich List.

They show that the number of town hall bosses receiving more than £100,000 in 2022-23 stood at 3,106, the highest level since the 2015 edition of this list and the second highest on record. It is also an increase of 347 on 2021-22 - and of these, 829 received at least £150,000, 108 more than the previous year.

Figures for the West Midlands show that the local authority with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2022-23 was Warwickshire, with 36.

The biggest remuneration package was received by Solihull’s chief executive - £326,411.

Overall, the local authority with the most employees receiving at least £100,000 in total remuneration was Westminster with 60 staff, ten more than the previous year.

Across the country, the number of council staff receiving over £150,000 hit a record high of 829, while for the first time, the number receiving over £200,000 has been specifically revealed, with 175 receiving this remuneration. One member of staff, the director of culture, community and business services at Hampshire council, received £651,158, made up of £120,133 in salary, £121,203 in compensation for loss of office and £409,822 in pension payments.

The prime minister had a salary entitlement of £164,951 in 2022-23. 188 council employees had a higher salary than this, with 557 receiving total remuneration in excess of this.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TPA, said:"The new financial year has seen council tax soar across the country, and taxpayers will notice that top brass pay has simultaneously surged.

"Local authorities provide crucial services and residents will want to make sure they are getting bang for their buck with their ever-increasing bills.

“Residents can use these figures to ask whether precious funds are really going towards frontline services, or whether town hall bosses can get better value for money.”

We have approached Warwickshire County Council for a comment on the TPA’s report.