Townhall ‘richlist’ revealed

Four Stirling Council officials took home six-figure sums last year, according to a newly published ‘town hall rich list’.

The Taxpayers Alliance group has published its list of the top earners at councils across the UK in 2020-21, taken from councils’own annual published accounts.

The rich list reveals Stirling Council chief executive Carol Beattie to be the only official here to take home a six-figure pay packet, with an annual salary of £116,550 - which is topped up with pension contributions worth £26,224.

The remaining three senior officers named on the list took home salaries worth just under £90,000 a year, with pension contributions taking them over the £100,000 mark.

Brian Roberts - who holds the position of chief operating officer for infrastructure and environment - took home a salary of £89,996 alongside pension contributions worth £20,249.

The same package was also earned by the council’s chief operating officer for communities and performance, Isobel Mcknight.

Finally, Stirling Council’s head of children and families, Marie Valente, took home a combined package worth £107,556 between salary and pension payments in 2020-21.

A council spokesperson stressed that there was only one salary point above £100,000 contained within the figures.

The spokesperson added:“the only salary paid to a Stirling Council official above £100,000 is the chief executive’s.

“Salaries for council chief executives across Scotland are set by COSLA as part of a national collective agreement with the relevant trade unions and representative bodies.

“Senior officer salaries at Stirling Council are also clearly published each year in the council’s annual accounts, which are available on our website.”

John O’connell, chief executive of the Taxpayers’alliance, said: “Taxpayers are facing a cost of living crisis — 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 tax hikes.

“These figures will allow residents to judge town hall bosses for themselves and hold their local councils to account.”