Barnet Council tops 'Town Hall Rich List' (From Times Series)

Barnet Council tops 'Town Hall Rich List', released by Taxpayers' Alliance

6:50am Wednesday 25th April 2012 in News By Chris Hewett

Council big wigs in Barnet are raking in the cash with more staff earning over £100,000 than any other local authority, a survey published today has revealed.

The 'Town Hall Rich List', released by independent watchdog the Taxpayers’ Alliance, revealed Barnet pays bigger remunerations than any other council in the country.

A total of 41 officers on the authority’s pay roll received more than £100,000 in the 2010/2011 financial year, three more than second placed Hampshire.

Each of the published earnings, including pensions contributions and redundancy packages where necessary, has increased on the 2009/2010 figures, with one current council executive claiming a 20 per cent rise on last year’s remuneration.

Topping the list of Barnet bank rollers still employed by the authority is chief executive Nick Walkley, who takes home a £200,000 yearly salary and receives nearly £50,000 in pension contributions.

Director of children’s services Robert McCulloch-Graham raked in £206,000 through a £165,000 salary and more than £41,000 pension contributions – a 20 per cent increase on the previous year.

Deputy chief executive and chief financial officer Andrew Travers was paid £206,000 last year, a salary that included fees paid to him as a number-crunching consultant.

Meanwhile, former executive director for environment and development Brian Reynolds, who took a redundancy package on September 17, left the authority with a £388,000 purse.

Of that total, £187,000 came via his annual salary, while £20,000 was made in pension contributions and more than £280,000 was agreed as a compensation package.

Former director of adult services and acting director of health integration Irene Findlay received £313,000 from the council in salary, pension payments and compensation after she was made redundant in March 2011.

The research, compiled from each council’s own published accounts, revealed a 13 per cent increase in the number of local authority staff earning in excess of £100,000 on the previous year.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the alliance, said: "Taxpayers will be astonished that so many council employees are still getting such a generous deal while everyone else in the public sector is facing a pay freeze.

“The Town Hall Rich List shows that whilst councils insist cuts can only mean pressure on frontline services, some clearly have cash in the bank when it comes to paying their own senior staff.

“These council executives must ensure they have the moral authority to lead necessary spending cuts, in many cases that will mean taking a pay cut themselves. Households have seen their council tax bills double over the last decade and deserve better value."