18 council staff earn £100k-plus

County defends salaries of authority's most senior workers

THE TaxPayers’ Alliance’s Town Hall Rich List, released last week, reveals 18 Hampshire County Council employees had salaries of more than £100,000 in 2017/18.

Chief executive John Coughlan was paid £216,195, deputy chief executive and director of corporate resources Carolyn Williamson earned £180,019, and children’s services director Steve Crocker and adults’ health and care director Graham Allen were both paid £153,015.

Other unnamed positions include the director of community, culture and business services and the director of economy, transport and environment, who both had a salary of £144,783, and the director of transformation and governance with £131,361.

Two other employees whose roles were not identified earned £127,500, three earned £112,500, four earned £107,500 and two earned £102,500.

The assistant chief executive was paid £98,950.

A Hampshire County Council spokesman said: “It’s important to note that the roles of a number of our most senior officers now go beyond the delivery of services on behalf of just Hampshire County Council (the third largest shire council in the country, serving 1.3 million residents).

“These positions are also responsible for the delivery of a range of services to a number of other local authorities and public sector partners – generating gross income of £130m.

“In addition to this successful income generation strategy, the county council remains vigilant in bearing down on its costs and staffing.

“Over the last 10 years, our efficiencies and innovation programmes have delivered nearly £500m of revenue savings.

“Overall levels of senior management have reduced, with the roles they undertake now ever larger, and more complex.

“Hampshire County Council is one of the largest and most effective public sector organisations in the country, with a turnover of £2bn per year, employing over 10,000 people directly and many more indirectly, who deliver a wide range of complex and essential services.

“We need to recruit and retain the best senior officers, but in doing so we constantly ensure that our rates of pay are competitive, but sustainable.”