Report reveals eight staff earning more than £100,000 at South Tyneside Council

The eleventh annual Taxpayers’ Alliance ‘Town Hall Rich List’ details the full remuneration and many of the names of all council employees nationwide earning six figures.

The report says the council had nine employees whose remuneration package topped six figures in the financial year 2017/17, led by the Corporate Director for Children, Adults and Families, who received a total of £150,809.

A South Tyneside Council spokeswoman said there are now eight officers earning more than £100,000 at the authority.

“The number of high earners at the council had been cut by more than 50 per cent since 2010.

“Over the last eight years South Tyneside Council has more than halved the number of officers with combined earnings of over £100,000 as part of our planned reduction in management costs.

“As a result, our structure is leaner, more efficient and offers greater value for money to our residents.”

She added: “South Tyneside has been rated, by external agencies, as one of the best performing councils in the country. Competitive salaries are paid to attract and retain talented individuals who undertake complex roles to deliver regeneration and jobs, protect vulnerable adults and children and provide value-for-money services to our residents.”

Taxpayers’ Alliance chief executive John O’Connell said: “The average council tax bill has gone up by more than £900 over the last twenty years and spending has gone through the roof.

“Disappointingly, many local authorities are now responding to financial reality through further tax rises and reducing services rather than scaling back top pay.

“There are talented people in the public sector who are trying to deliver more for less, but the sheer scale of these packages raise serious questions about efficiency and priorities.

“The government must also act to implement the exit payment cap that was passed in 2016.”