Revealed – council staff paid more than £100k
NEW figures have revealed the staff at Welsh councils who take home more than £100,000 – and three of the top five earners in Wales work for South Wales councils.
The nation’s highest earner was the boss of Denbighshire Council, who took home £280,189 – but the second place was taken by Cardiff ’s chief executive Paul Orders, who earned £223,760.
Every year, the TaxPayers’ Alliance pressure group, which campaigns for a low-tax society, collates the staff at each Welsh council who received more than £100,000.
The figures include their salaries, expenses, any bonuses, compensation, payments and pensions.
In Wales in 2020-21, 145 people received more than £100,000.
The biggest remuneration package went to Judith Greenhalgh, the CEO of Denbighshire council since April 2018, who took a career break after being on “special leave” for around two months.
The council with the most employees who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2020-21 was Cardiff with 14.
The top five earners in Wales were:
■ Denbighshire’s chief executive – £280,189;
■ Cardiff ’s chief executive Paul Orders – £223,760;
■ Cardiff’s assistant director of children’s services – £221,186;
■ Pembrokeshire’s chief executive/ returning officer – £193,576; and
■ Rhondda Cynon Taf’s chief executive Chris Bradshaw – £188,000.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers facing a cost of living crisis want to know they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership.
“With households having suffered through the pandemic and now struggling under colossal tax bills, the country needs councils to prioritise key services without resorting to punishing tax hikes. These figures will allow residents to judge town hall bosses for themselves and hold their local councils to account.”
The Welsh Local Government Association responded on behalf of all Welsh councils.
A spokeswoman said: “These are difficult times for many of the people and communities of Wales and councils across the country are doing everything they can to support them.
“Councils in Wales need strong leadership in the best of times and have needed that more than ever as local services continue to respond to the pandemic and new challenges caused by the war in Ukraine.
“Senior officers are instrumental in co-ordinating the local and national responses and run businesses employing thousands of people with large budgets of hundreds of millions of pounds.
“Councils in Wales are committed to meeting the senior pay transparency guidance produced by Welsh Government, in addition to needing to refer any changes in chief executive pay to the Independent Remuneration Panel.
“All produce pay policy statements which are fully published and can be found on local authorities’ websites. These are a far more accurate reflection of salaries in councils than set out in the TPA’s report.”
Selected councils with high wage earners included: Blaenau Gwent
■ Managing director – £135,126
■ Corporate director, regeneration and community services – £111,729
■ Corporate director, social services – £111,729 ■ Corporate director, education (from March 30, 2020) – £103,386
Bridgend
■ Chief executive officer and head of paid service – £167,442
■ Corporate director, education and family support – £135,956
■ Corporate director, communities – £131,555
■ Corporate director, social services and wellbeing – £130,669
■ Chief officer, legal, HR and regulatory services – £100,894
Caerphilly
■ Chief executive – £172,939
■ Corporate director, social services and housing – £158,106
■ Corporate director, economy and environment – £158,106
■ Corporate director, education and corporate services – £150,812
■ Undisclosed – £102,500
■ Undisclosed – £102,500
Cardiff
■ Chief executive – £223,760
■ Assistant director, children’s services – £221,186
■ Corporate director, resources and Section 151 – officer £171,109
■ Corporate director, people and communities – £171,109
■ Director, planning, transport and environment – £157,947
■ Director, economic development – £157,947
■ Director, governance and legal services and monitoring officer – £156,908
■ Chief digital officer – £126,798
■ Assistant director, adult services – £107,405
■ Assistant director, education and lifelong learning – £107,405
■ Assistant director, street scene – £107,405
■ Programme director, schools organisation programme – £107,405
■ Head of finance – £107,405
■ Head of performance and partnerships – £105,592
Merthyr Tydfil
■ Interim chief executive – £151,807
■ Interim deputy chief executive – £123,310
■ Chief officer, social services – £105,153
■ Chief officer, education – £105,083
Monmouthshire
■ Chief executive officer – £147,665
■ Undisclosed – £117,500
■ Chief officer, children and young people – £108,445
■ Chief officer, social care, safeguarding – £108,445
■ Chief officer, resources and acting Section 151 officer – £108,445
■ Chief officer, enterprise – £106,938
Newport
■ Head of adult and community services – £112,110
■ Chief executive (appointed July 29, 2020) – £104,839
■ Head of children and young people services – £103,989
■ Chief education officer – £103,626
■ Head of people and business change – £103,626
■ Head of law and regulation (monitoring officer) – £103,424
■ Head of finance (Section 151 officer) – £103,021
■ Head of city services – £102,059
Rhondda Cynon Taf
■ Chief executive – £188,000
■ Director, human resources – £122,000
■ Director, finance and digital services – £122,000
■ Director, prosperity and development – £114,000
■ Director, legal services – £113,000
■ Group director, community and children’s services, and deputy chief executive – £113,000
■ Group director, prosperity, development and frontline services – £113,000
■ Director, education and inclusion services – £113,000
■ Director, corporate estates – £113,000
Torfaen
■ Chief executive – £142,979
■ Assistant chief executive, resources – £118,250
■ Chief officer, social care and housing – £115,484
■ Chief officer, neighbourhood, planning and public protection – £115,484
■ Head of education services – £115,431
■ Undisclosed – £107,500
Vale of Glamorgan
■ Managing director – £168,033
■ Director, environment and housing services – £128,073
■ Director, learning and skills – £128,073
■ Director, social services – £124,874
■ Head of finance – £109,878
■ Head of legal services (monitoring officer) – £109,878