THE chief executive of Surrey County Council is among the highest-paid council bosses in the country.
New figures released last week reveal the enviable salaries of our local authority's highest earners.
County council chief executive David McNulty, also head of the paid service, took home a total remuneration package of £245,133 in 2011/12, including pension contributions and "other payments".
The six-figure package makes him the 33rd highest paid council employee in the country and the 20th highest paid chief executive – although the sum is less than the £253,133 he took home the year before.
The information comes just one week after the Mirror reported how the council has approved a "secret" bonus worth £100,000 for Mr McNulty, with council leader David Hodge claiming the chief executive was among the lowest paid chief executive's in the country.
Justifying Mr McNulty's pay package, Surrey County Council spokeswoman Joy Ridley said: "Surrey's chief executive manages a budget of £1.8 billion and 26,000 staff. He has successfully guided the organisation as it has uncovered savings of £280 million, launched the county's biggest-ever school building programme, secured a new roads contract that has saved millions of pounds while also ensuring 100 miles of the county's roads are completely replaced, and signed a deal that will give nearly everyone in Surrey superfast broadband speeds."
The figures, released by The Taxpayers' Alliance, also show 19 employees at the authority earned more than £100,000 in the 2011/12 financial year. This is one more than the previous year.
Ms Ridley added: "If we are to provide residents with the best possible services, we have to attract and retain the highest calibre of staff. This is difficult in a county like Surrey which has such a high cost of living and an average salary 25 per cent higher than the UK level. Despite this, pay has hardly risen during the past three years, and during the same time staff have helped the council save nearly £200 million."
Also included in The Taxpayers' Alliance figures is the remuneration package of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council chief executive John Jory.
According to the information, Mr Jory's pay came in at £174,000, including £21,000 in pension contributions and £15,000 in "other payments" – more than the £142,500 wage David Cameron takes home as Prime Minister.
Defending the pay packet, Mari Roberts, HR manager at the council, said: "Since 2010, the organisation has steadily reduced the size of our management team from 16 to six as part of our ongoing efforts to reduce management costs and the salary bill so we can continue to protect services.
"This includes reducing the number of people with remuneration packages over £100,000 from six to two. In the last two years, our salary bill has reduced by more than £1.4 million."
She added: "The chief executive's remuneration package includes a number of elements including salary, elections fees, bonus and pension contributions."
Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of The TaxPayers' Alliance, believes there are still too many highly paid staff on town hall payrolls.
He added: "Residents won't be impressed if their council pleads poverty when it is demanding more and more council tax, only then to spend it creating more town hall tycoons."
