Town Hall Rich List 2026 finds that a record 4,733 council employees received over £100,000 remuneration in 2024-25, with 1,255 receiving over £150,000 in total remuneration in 2024-25, another record.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance has compiled a council-by-council breakdown of local government executive pay deals.
In the wake of the largest council tax increase since 2004, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has released its Town Hall Rich List 2026, the 20th edition of the project. Town Hall Rich List is the only comprehensive list of its kind with a council-by-council breakdown of local government executive pay deals.
The number of council bosses receiving more than £100,000 across the country in 2024-25 stood at 4,733, the highest level since this dataset was first published in 2007 and 827 more than last year's edition.
Councils have routinely increased council tax by 4.99 per cent each year, the maximum before a local referendum is mandatory in England, often citing stretched budgets and increased demands. Despite budget shortfalls, councils have been able to consistently find ever-increasing amounts to pay senior staff.
Locally Westmorland and Furness Council has 21 members of staff on the list, earning salaries ranging from just over the threshold at £102,500 all the way up to former chief executive Sam Plum, who earned £182,391 a year before retiring in December.
Ms Plum also received £31,554 in pension contributions and £5,572 under the ‘other’ category.
She was succeeded by Miranda Cannon, who is not included on the list this year.
The second highest paid person at Westmorland and Furness council is Angela Jones, director of thriving places, on £150,564, having also received £26,048 in pension money.
With Paul Robinson, director of enabler services, Cath Whalley, director of adult social care, and Steph Cordon, director of thriving communities, all on £142,607 annually.
All three also received £24,671 in pension contributions with Mr Robinson additionally receiving £2,786 in ‘other’ money and Ms Whalley receiving £180 under that category.
Another now former officer of the council, Pam Duke, director of resources (s151 officer) earned £141,721 and received £23,544 for her pension until March 14, 2025, before leaving her post last year.
Milorad Vasic, director of children’s services, is on a salary of £141,025, also receiving £24,397 for his pension and £529 of other money.
Chief legal and monitoring officer Linda Jones earned £120,330, with £20,817 in pension and £3,524 in other money, while assistant chief executive Alison Hatcher earned £120,318 with £20,829 for her pension.
Katrina Stephens, director of public health, earned £118,606 with £20,519 towards her pension and £126 in other money.
Following these named council officers are a number of unnamed staff with two on £117,500, one on £112,500, and another on £107,500 while another seven earned £102,500.
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said: “Senior officer salaries are carefully scrutinised, subject to national benchmarking and are approved by democratically elected councillors in an open and transparent way.
“Senior officers are responsible for providing large, complex services and most of the senior leaders listed in the research are statutory roles that a unitary council must legally have in place.
“These are difficult and complicated roles, especially in extremely challenging times for local government, and we need to ensure that we can attract and retain the best leaders to ensure that we deliver quality, essential, services that make a positive difference to people’s lives.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:
"Taxpayers are caught in a pincer movement with a record-breaking tax burden on one side and a bloated public sector feathering its nest on the other.
“Our latest Town Hall Rich List exposes a surging class of council bosses enjoying six-figure packages, even as they plead poverty, slash frontline services, and hike council tax bills far beyond inflation.
“Residents can see exactly how many local bureaucrats are receiving plush packages and judge for themselves whether they're getting value for money."
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