New research has revealed that six positions at Wokingham borough council are paid in excess of £100,000 per year.
The information has been released by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, a pressure group which was formed in 2004 to campaign for a low-tax society.
Chief executive Susan Parsonage receives a salary of £172,939, while the deputy chief executive, who also acts as the director of resources and assets, earns £147,524.
The executive director for children, adults and health gets £144,148, the director of children’s services gets £129,055, the chief operating officer earns £121,095, while the director of places and growth has a salary of £119,549, and the assistant director of governance – £113,917.
The research also revealed two further unidentified positions that command salaries of £100,000.
The salary for Wokingham’s chief executive is lower compared with some of Wokingham’s neighbours.
Susan Halliwell, chief executive of Bracknell Forest borough council earns £204,000, while Jackie Yates, chief executive at Reading borough council earns £177,942.
In 2023-24, the local authority with the most employees receiving at least £100,000 in total remuneration was Westminster with 73 staff, 13 more than the previous year.
Westminster also had the most employees receiving at least £200,000 in total remuneration with eight. Bromley, city of Edinburgh, city of London, Essex and Wandsworth all had seven employees receiving at least £200,000 in total remuneration.
The highest remunerated council employee, in 2023-24, was Annemarie O’Donnell, chief executive of Glasgow city council who received £567,317 in total remuneration.
Burnley was the only council which had no employees receiving over £100,000 in 2023-24.
First compiled in 2007, the Town Hall Rich List 2025 marks the 19th edition of the paper. Every year, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has compiled a comprehensive list of all local authority employees receiving total remuneration over £100,000.
It found that In 2023-24, at least 3,906 council employees across the country received total remuneration of £100,000 or more.
This is 801, or 26%, more compared to 2022-23. Of these, 1,092 received at least £150,000 in total remuneration, 32% more than 2022-23.
This is the largest number of people in receipt of at least £100,000 or £150,000 in total remuneration since the Town Hall Rich List began in 2007.
At least 262 council employees received more than £200,000 in total remuneration during 2023-24. This is 87, or 50%, more than 2022-23.
The prime minister had a salary entitlement of £172,153 in 2023-24, and some 238 council employees received a higher salary than this.
Figures are sourced from the annual accounts published by each council. These are available online on each council’s website.
Audited accounts are used whenever available. If audited accounts are not provided by the council, unaudited or draft accounts are used. These figures are also provided by councils.
Notes to the report said: “These figures do not attack council staff; they merely highlight councils’ senior employees’ remunerations.
“Accountability matters as a core principle of local government.
“These figures should shine a light on the town hall bosses who are delivering for residents, but also allow taxpayers to hold to account those who are not offering good value for money.”
