Friday March 27

Council Spending Uncovered 4:  Town Hall Rich List 2008

Download the full report (PDF, 1.3MB).

Blogs

2.00pm, Economics 101
Cllr J P Floru:
Celtic Tiger through tax cuts, not EU subsidies

I came across an article by Benjamin Powell  which explains how EU subsidies in fact did not help, but hindered Irish growth... - Read More

10.30am, Better Government
Matthew Sinclair:
More spending fails to boost proportion of young people going to university

What these services need isn't yet more resources but to be set free of control by politicians... - Read More

Media Coverage

  - Over 800 council staff earn £100,000 a year

"More than 800 council officials are being paid £100,000 a year and 14 enjoy higher salaries than the Prime Minister, a report has claimed.

The Town Hall Rich List was published by the TaxPayers' Alliance as it was confirmed that council tax will rise above inflation again this year." - Full Article

- Council execs paid over £100k

- Full Article

- Council Tax Squandered

"The fat cat salaries were revealed in the annual Town Hall Rich List published by the TaxPayers’ Alliance yesterday. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the pressure group, said: “Taxpayers have a right to know how much senior town hall officials are being paid because only then can we judge whether they deserve their remuneration.

“Too often, council executives are rewarded handsomely even when they fail. Families and pensioners are struggling with the demands of yet another council tax rise, and councils owe it to them to cut back on executive pay increases." - Full Article

- Top council earners revealed - well some of them at least

"But details of the salaries of the 16 officers at County Hall who earn more than £100,000 have not been included after the council's chief executive Peter Gilroy blocked the disclosure of their names.

Mr Gilroy's own salary resulted in him being identified as the country's best paid chief executive in the same survey by the TPA last year.

The decision has prompted the TPA to name the county council as one of five to have produced "the most ludicrous local authority excuses for withholding information"." - Full Article

Comments

[Phillip Latimer]

The salaries of council leaders appears high but look more reasonable when compared to what Chief Fire officers, Police and Ambulance officers earn in England and Wales.
These 'chief executives' control far smaller budgets and have fewer staff so why do they earn so much? (£100k plus salaries per year are common)

[Sue]

It's Despicable and Scandalous that such people whom are suppose to serve the taxpayers feel they are unaccountable in such ways.

It's absurd in this society that whilst we the taxpayers are expected to be more transparent, in fact have little choice to do otherwise, yet those who greedily take our money, place themselves in a different society, a society in which they should be unaccountable and entitled to privacy.

Utter nonsense, all those who take from the state purse, should be fully declared and accountable. More so as least would offer some indications as to whether we are receiving value for money etc