Revealed: the council staff earning more than £100k

Taxpayers’ Alliance throws spotlight on £5.5m wages bill for NI Town Hall bosses

A TOTAL of 47 council staff in Northern Ireland received financial packages worth more than £100,000 last year, according to a new report.

Among those listed were eight officials at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, seven others who work for Belfast City and six at Ards and North Down.

The figures include pension contributions and expenses, and have risen from 26 council staff on £100,000-plus in 2018/19.

The Town Hall Rich List 2021, produced by right-wing pressure group the Taxpayers’ Alliance, listed 2,802 UK council employees whose total remuneration exceeded £100,000 in 2019-20.

In Northern Ireland, the total earnings stood at £5,551,437 — up from £3,197,834 in 2018/19.

For the fourth year running, the biggest remuneration package (£170,288) went to Belfast’s chief executive Suzanne Wylie and included a £142,500 salary and £27,788 pension contribution.

Also listed was Nigel Grimshaw, who retired as strategic director of city and neighbourhood services last September as an independent probe began into Belfast City Council’s handling of the Bobby Storey funeral.

Both he and Ms Wylie faced intense scrutiny after it emerged that on the day the IRA leader was cremated at Roselawn last June, eight other families were prevented from holding services at the council-run cemetery.

Prior to his departure, Mr Grimshaw was listed as earning £128,463, which included a pension entitlement of £20,963.

A Belfast City Council spokesperson said salaries for chief executives in Northern Ireland’s 11 councils were set independently as part of a “robust and independent” job evaluation exercise.

They added Ms Wylie’s salary took into account that Belfast is the largest local council, and was benchmarked against comparable posts in the public sector.

Other considerations included an independent evaluation of job roles of directors and attracting the necessary calibre of senior staff to City Hall, they added.

Pension contributions are set by the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee while remuneration levels for all senior staff in Belfast are published annually.

Mid Ulster council had just one £100,000-plus employee — former chief executive Anthony Tohill. Mr Tohill, who stood down last year, received £140,400, which included a £117,000 salary and £23,400 in pension entitlements.

Fermanagh and Omagh’s former chief executive, Brendan Hegarty, who retired in late 2019, received £124,608, including a £20,768 pension payment.

Five unspecified members of staff in Mid and East Antrim received total salaries ranging from £114,000 to £138,000.

No figures were included for Causeway Coast and Glens as no accounts have been published.

Taxpayers’ Alliance chief executive John O’connell said Northern Irish taxpayers want to know they are getting value for money.

He added: “At the onset of coronavirus, officials in every local authority in Northern Ireland were taking home huge sums.

“While councils were plunged into tackling the pandemic, many staff will have more than earned their keep, but households have nevertheless struggled with enormous and unpopular council tax rises.

“These figures shine a light on the town hall bosses who’ve got it right, and will enable residents to hold those who aren’t delivering value for money to account.”

‘Many council staff will have earned their keep during the Covid crisis but households have struggled with council tax rises’