Dorset Council is offering a salary up to £200,000 for a new chief executive (Image: Getty)
A led council is offering its new boss a salary more than Sir ‘s despite looming cuts.
‘s next chief executive will be paid £185,000 to £200,000 – thousands more than the Prime Minister, whose annual salary is reportedly around £170,000.
The successful candidate can also look forward to a £10,500 “golden hello” despite the local authority’s plan to lay off six percent of its workforce and increase council tax by five percent from April.
Benjamin Elks from the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) said local taxpayers footing the bill for telephone number salaries will demand immediate results.
He said: “Council top brass have been receiving big money while paring back essential services like bin collections, but don’t seem to be shy in coming back to taxpayers for ever more council tax.”
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Mr Elks told the local taxpayers will now be looking to the new chief executive to cut wasteful spending and keep council tax low.
Dorset Council’s plans to cut £12.5million from its wage bill led union Unison to warn up to 300 jobs will go over the next four to five years as a result.
Key responsibilities of the chief executive role include delivering “cost-effective” services, managing crises and acting as an ambassador for the county.
Nick Ireland, the council’s leader, described the salary as “competitive” and designed to attract the right person.
He said: “Our senior leadership salaries are benchmarked against other unitary councils of a similar size, both locally and nationally, and we are offering a competitive salary for the role of chief executive to ensure we attract the right person to lead our council.
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Council leader Nick Ireland says the salary is competitive (Image: Dorset Council)
“We have been transparent about our financial pressures and must find ways to deliver the services that our residents value most in a way that is fit for the future.”
Mr Ireland added: “We value the expertise our staff bring and will support colleagues to find alternative positions within the organisation where possible. We continue to engage with our trade union colleagues and employees to find ways to achieve this.”
Last year saw the number of council employees pocketing more than £100,000 in total remuneration rise to the highest level since 2013-14, according to the TPA’s town hall rich list.
At least 3,106 people employed by local authorities in 2022-23 received total remuneration of at least £100,000 – an increase of 347 on 2021-22.
Of these 829 received at least £150,000, which is the largest number of people in receipt of at least £150,000 since the TPA’s town hall rich list began in 2007.
In 2022-23, at least 175 council employees received more than £200,000 in total remuneration, according to the organisation, which campaigns for lower taxes.