Nearly 4,800 UK Council workers now earn over £100,000
The number of local authority employees across the UK pulling in six-figure total remuneration packages hit a record high last year, according to the TaxPayers’ Alliance’s latest Town Hall Rich List.
In 2024-25, 4,733 council staff received £100,000 or more when salary, pension contributions, bonuses, benefits, and other payments are added up – a 21.2% jump from the previous year and the second consecutive annual record.
That’s 827 more people than in 2023-24 and roughly eight times as many as in 2005-06, when the list first launched.
The 20th edition of the annual report, published on Tuesday (14 April), paints a picture of steadily expanding pay at the top of local government even as council tax bills continue to climb for millions of households.
Council tax up sharply – again
Average Band D council tax rose 79% in England, 120% in Wales, and 30% in Scotland between 2005-06 and 2024-25.
For 2026-27, further increases are already baked in: 4.9% (£111) in England, 5.2% (£113) in Wales, and 7.1% (£110) in Scotland. Northern Ireland councils also raised district rates.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance argues the surge in high earners reflects broader growth in local government responsibilities, and the bill is landing squarely on taxpayers.
Top of the pay league
The single highest-paid individual worked for Staffordshire Council and received £457,500 in total remuneration. The name and exact job title were not disclosed in the council’s accounts.
Other standout packages included:
- An unnamed assistant chief executive at Cambridge Council who received £330,101 in total pay plus £222,559 in compensation for loss of office – the largest such payout of the year.
- Elaine Allegretti, strategic director for children and adults at Barking and Dagenham Council, who collected a £34,161 bonus on top of £232,923 total remuneration – the biggest bonus recorded.
- C Spencer, managing director of the Barbican Centre at City of London Corporation, on £373,000.
A total of 366 staff earned £200,000 or more (up 39.7% year-on-year), while 1,255 cleared £150,000.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s salary entitlement was £172,153 in 2024. Yet 320 council employees earned more than that, a third more than the year before.
London boroughs dominate the high-pay tables. Westminster Council had the most six-figure earners with 92, a 12-fold increase since 2005-06. Essex, Hampshire, and Kent county councils followed, each with dozens.
London boroughs averaged 31.5 staff on £100,000+, far above the UK-wide average of 12.6 per council.
Even bankrupt councils are paying big
Six local authorities have issued section 114 notices, effectively declaring bankruptcy, since 2020. Those councils still employed 124 people on £100,000+ in 2024-25.
Thurrock Council, which issued its notice in 2022, had the highest-paid individual among them: interim executive director of place Claire Demmel on £283,844.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance noted that while councils now publish more detailed senior pay data than a decade ago, gaps remain.
Some accounts do not clearly separate teaching staff, pension contributions are sometimes excluded from band figures, and a handful of councils still miss filing deadlines.
Five councils – Caerphilly, Clackmannanshire, Denbighshire, East Dunbartonshire, and Wrexham – had not published their 2024-25 accounts by 1 April 2026.
The report’s authors say greater standardisation and inclusion of pension costs in pay bands would help residents hold their councils to account.
