This is how much the highest-paid Lancashire county and district council staff receive

Almost a dozen senior officers at Lancashire County Council earned over £100,000 for their work during 2018/19, according to newly-collated figures.
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The data was compiled by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, a right-of-centre pressure group which campaigns for lower taxes and publishes its so-called “Town Hall Rich List” every year.

The highest-earning local government official at any Lancashire authority was County Hall’s chief executive Angie Ridgwell, whose salary amounted to £206,000. She also fulfils the role of director of resources and did not receive any pension benefits for the year in question.

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There are ten other officers at the county council whose remuneration ranged from £109,000 to £160,000.

County Hall in PrestonCounty Hall in Preston
County Hall in Preston

The latter figure was the combined pay and pension package received by the authority’s second-highest earner, executive director of adult services and health and wellbeing Louise Taylor - who is responsible for the service area which accounts for the largest share of Lancashire County Council’s budget.

Three of the highest-earning officers are not identified either by name or role in the published data. Another three have a basic salary of below £100,000, but appear on the list because their pension contributions pushed them above that amount overall.

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said: "Senior officers’ pay is intended to reflect their responsibilities, skills, and experience and ensure the best people possible are in these key positions.

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"The senior management structure of the county council has been streamlined in recent years, which has also put us in a much better position to deal with the present COVID-19 crisis."

At district authority level, Lancaster City Council has four senior staff on the Taxpayers' Alliance list - its chief executive, who earned £127,000, inluding £16,000 in pension benefits; chief officer for governance (£115,000); human resources manager (£110,000); and chief officer for resources (£100,000)

However, a spokesperson for the authority said: “Of the four roles listed, only the chief executive earns a salary of above £100,000 and this is in line with other public sector bodies the size of the city council.

“Two of the other roles listed (Chief Officer Governance and HR Manager) were interim agency appointments and the amounts reflect the total value of the contracts over this period.

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“Agency appointments attract a premium due to the short term nature of their appointments and are only made when recruitment of permanent staff proves difficult due to the specialist nature of the role. These contracts ceased some time ago.

“The amount for the other role (Chief Officer Resources) includes compensation for loss of office, a one off amount.”

Speaking abut the nationwide figures, John O'Connell, chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “The coronavirus crisis means that frontline council services are more crucial than ever, but at the same time household budgets face an enormous squeeze from crushing council tax rises.

“There are plenty of talented people in local authorities who are focused on delivering more for less, but that is needed across the board. The country needs every council to cut out waste and prioritise key services without resorting to punishing tax hikes on their residents.

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“These figures should shine a light on the town hall bosses who’ve got it right, but also allow taxpayers to hold to account those who aren’t delivering value for money at this critical time.”

The organisation found that at least 2,667 people employed by local authorities in 2018-19 received more than £100,000 - an increase of nine percent on the previous twelve months.

A total of 667 employees received over £150,000, while 32 earned more than a quarter of a million pounds.