Glasgow City Council Town Hall Rich List 2023: Staff who earned over £100k last year amid tax rises

Almost 3,000 council staff earned £100,000 or more last year as households across the country battled soaring living costs and tax hikes.

The number of local authority employees with a six-figure pay and benefits package went up to 2,759 during 2021-22, with 721 getting more than £150,000, according to the 16th annual Town Hall Rich List published by the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA).

Of the eight local authorities in and around the Glasgow region with the most employees receiving over £100,000, FOUR were in Glasgow - with Glasgow council alone having 21 of the highest paid employees.

The local authority in Scotland that paid out the highest amount in terms of bonuses and performance related pay to a senior employee was Edinburgh council, with its Managing director (interim) - Lothian Buses receiving a £26,100 bonus.

This year saw a large reduction in the number of councils publishing accounts, with 47 failing to disclose the pay of its town hall bosses. This is compared to 25 local authorities not disclosing their accounts last year.

TPA estimates suggest that had all of the figures been disclosed, the true number of council staff on £100,000 would have been closer to 3,126 individuals rather than 2,759. The Alliance also estimates that the true amount of individuals receiving £150,000 or more would be 818 instead of 721.

The Town Hall Rich List is a vital tool for taxpayers wanting to judge which authorities are delivering the best value for money and gives a council-by-council breakdown of local government executive pay deals.

The TPA is the UK’s independent campaign for lower taxes, committed to forcing politicians to listen to ordinary taxpayers. On its website, the campaign group says national debt “has now surpassed £1 trillion” and “unless action is taken to tackle unsustainable public spending future generations will inherit the consequences of today’s extravagance”.

The TPA is calling on local authorities to stop council tax rises and cut down on wasteful spending, including by demanding better value from town hall bosses. John O’Connell, chief executive of TPA, said the public can “use these figures to hold their local town hall bosses to account.”

He added: “Taxpayers facing record council tax rises want to be sure they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership. Many authorities continue with extremely generous pay and perks, including bonuses and golden goodbyes, while local people are facing a financial squeeze.”

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “Chief Executive pay is not determined by councils. The Scottish Government publishes details of how it is calculated and authorities routinely publish information about their pay schemes for other staff.

“What the report fails to consider is what has happened to overall executive pay – which is a fall, with fewer people employed in roles at these grades than a decade ago.”

Who has been paid the most?

The Chief Executive of Glasgow City council - Annemarie O’Donnell - had the largest salary of any council worker in Scotland that year, at £188,128. In terms of the highest remuneration packages, her package of £260,999 in total came second only to Executive director for enterprise and communities Robert Steenson of North Lanarkshire, who received (£536,530) including compensation loss of office’.

Glasgow City Council rich list for 2023:

Who are the highest remunerated employees?

Listed are the highest remunerated employees in Glasgow, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, West Dumbartonshire, East Dumbartonshire, Inverclyde region in 2021-22:

• Glasgow: Chief executive (Annemarie O’Donnell) - £260,999
• South Lanarkshire: Chief executive (C. Sneddon) - £184,698
• North Lanarkshire: Executive director (Robert Steenson) - £536,530
• East Renfrewshire: Chief executive (Lorraine McMillan) - £151,427
• Renfrewshire: Director of finance and resources - chief executive from 16 dec 2021) (Alan Russell) - £162,749
• West Dumbartonshire: Chief executive (Joyce White) - £169,691
• East Dumbartonshire: Chief executive (G. Cornes) - £164,408
• Inverclyde: Corporate director, health and social care partnership (L. Long) - £147,849