Kent News: Alliance: Gilroy earns more than Gordon Brown

The chief executive of Kent County Council has been named as one of the local authority leaders across the country earning more than the Prime Minister.


The Taxpayers’ Alliance found 14 council employees in local government positions with salaries above Gordon Brown’s £188,849.


KCC’s chief executive Peter Gilroy comes third in the alliance’s ‘rich list’ of top local authority earners making more than £200,000 a year.


Cllr Alex King, deputy leader of the authority, defended the salary.

He said: “Mr Gilroy manages the biggest shire authority in the country which remains consistently excellent as independently defined by the Audit Commission, with an annual budget of £1.8 billion and more than 40,000 staff.


“In recognition of this the council’s personnel committee, which consists of elected members from all the political parties, agreed to renew his contract in November 2006 on a total salary of £207,000 per annum and provision for a performance related bonus.


“He receives no company car, health insurance, mortgage relief or any other fringe benefit.”


The Alliance used Freedom of Information requests to compile the list and said KCC was among the authorities that refused to release the data.


KCC refused to release the names of officials earning more than £100,000, citing human rights legislation.

Cllr King said: "Local Authorities must by law publish accounts annually, this includes salary bands of all staff earning in excess of £50,000 and this information is easily accessible on the internet.


“We did not withhold information from the Alliance other than the names of those staff on legal advice relating to human rights and data protection."


Matthew Elliot, the Alliance’s chief executive, 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.


“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 hikes.”