AT least 28 people working at councils in Oxfordshire are paid more than £100,000.

According to a new report by the Taxpayers' Alliance, 18 members of Oxfordshire County Council were paid at least six figures, when pensions and salary were accounted for.

Its Chief Executive, who also runs Cherwell District Council, earns a salary of more than £180,000 and a pension of nearly £36,000, according to the Town Hall Rich List 2019 - more than the Prime Minster.

The list refers to the 2017-18 financial year.

Also paid combined earnings above £100,000 are six Oxford City Council staff; two from South Oxfordshire and one from Vale of White Horse District Council

West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District councils either did not publish the data or paid no employees more than £100,000.

The annual report, which lists pay of high-earning council staff nationwide, suggests that local authority employees receiving more than £100,000 is at its highest level since 2013-14.

2, 454 people employed by local authorities are listed in the data, 608 of whom are paid more than £150,000.

The average number of staff at councils earning more than £150,000 is 5.8, while only 17 councils around the country paid more staff at least £100,000 than Oxfordshire County Council.

John O'Connell, TaxPayers’ Alliance CEO, said: “The average council tax bill has gone up by more than £900 over the last 20 years. Disappointingly, many local authorities are now responding to financial reality through further tax rises and reducing services rather than scaling back top pay.

"Many town hall bosses are continuing to pocket huge remuneration packages."

It is not clear who funds his organisation, which says it aims to 'reform taxes, reduce spending and protect taxpayers'.

  • This article previously stated that the Head of Paid Service at South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Council was the highest paid member of council staff in the county, based on data from the Taxpayers' Alliance. The renumeration package was previously reported as £320,000, based on Taxpayers' Alliance data taken from council accounts; however the council says the actual salary was £141,820. 
  • To avoid confusion, reference to the former chief executive of Oxfordshire County Council as Peter Clark has been removed, since he is no longer in post, but Taxpayers' Alliance's report covers the 2017-18 financial year.