Derbyshire ‘town hall rich list': 23 council staff on salaries of £100,000 or more

More than 20 council employees across Derbyshire are all earning over £100,000 a year in their roles, it has been revealed.
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The annual report by TaxPayers’ Alliance, dubbed the ‘Town Hall Rich List’, shows that 11 senior officers employed by Derbyshire County Council received six-figure salaries in 2019-20, down from 13 the previous year.

Emma Alexander – executive director of commissioning, communities and policy – was the top earner being paid £126,185 plus a pension of £25,237, bringing her total renumerations to £151,422.

Others included the executive director of children's services, Jane Parfrement, on £148,417 a year and a member of staff in an undisclosed role who earned £137,500.

Council headquartersCouncil headquarters
Council headquarters

The total earned between the 11 people included in the list was £1,347,281.

Across other parts of the county, the bulk of top earners were those in chief executive roles.

In Chesterfield, the highest pay went to Huw Bowen – chief executive of Chesterfield Borough Council – who received a total of £126,944.

At Amber Valley Borough Council two people earned £100,000 or more while in Erewash Borough Council three people did, with the chief executive being paid the most at £152,346.

There were three top earners at High Peak Borough Council, although it is noted that staff are shared with Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.

Simon Baker, chief executive of High Peak Borough Council until his retirement in March 2020, took home the highest pay with renumerations totalling £217,872 for the year 2019-2020.

Dan Swaine also earned £268,554 in his role as joint chief executive of Bolsover District Council and North East Derbyshire District Council – a role he held until March 2020 – with it again being noted that staff are shared between the two local authorities.

And at the Derbyshire Dales District Council, chief executive Paul Wilson earned £116,921.

The data was revealed in a study by the TaxPayer's Alliance, with the list compiling every employee at councils all over the country and the roles of those in public office who were paid the most in the year 2019-2020.

There are 140 councils in England which pay more than seven people £100,000 or more annually.

The study found that the number of local authority employees receiving over £100,000 in total remuneration across England has risen to the highest level since 2013-14.

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