Bucks Free Press: Massive increase in council chiefs' pay

by Oliver Evans

THE number of council staff paid more than £50,000 a year has shot up as much as six-fold in Buckinghamshire according to new research.

County residents are paying as much as £45 a year for 291 employees the Taxpayers' Alliance said today.

Research by the pressure group shows staff earning more than £50,000 has risen across all four councils which cover South Bucks.

In Buckinghamshire County the number of top earners went up six-fold 43 in 1996-97 to 263 in 2006-07, pushing the total bill from £2.7m to £16.2m.

This cost county residents £33.25 per head.

At Chiltern District Council this went from five to 11, £285,000 to £685,000, costing each person £7.59.

For South Bucks District Council there were 10 on the top wage, up from five in 2001-02.

This pushed the final bill from £325,000 to £650,000, costing each resident £10.20.

Figures were not available for previous years for Wycombe District Council but the research showed 28 on the senior bay bracket.

This meant taxpayers forked out almost £2m for their salaries - a cost of £12.28 per head.

Taken with cash taken by the county council this means district residents are paying £45.53 a year - the most in South Bucks.

A statement from Taxpayers' Alliance said: "It is of course quite normal that wages should increase above the rate of inflation in a growing economy, and, over time, we would expect more people to earn £50,000 and above.

"But the increase in the number of local authority employees being paid more than £50,000 per annum has been phenomenal, far outstripping the rate of increase in the economy as a whole."