Town Hall Rich List reveals New Forest District Council, BCP Council and Hampshire County Council employees earning more than £100,000

THE latest Town Hall Rich List features one current executive on New Forest District Council topping the £100,000 pay scale, 38 on Hampshire County Council and 17 on BCP.

NFDC chief executive Kate Ryan’s £151,480 was up to £40,000 less than that enjoyed by the top tier directors at BCP, and £80,000 less than Carolyn Williamson, the chief executive at HCC on £236,968.

Compiled for the past 17 years by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, the list for 2022-23 compiles council employees in the UK in receipt of over £100,000 in total remuneration in a single financial year.

It was departing Hampshire executive Felicity Roe who was highlighted as the highest in the country who took £651,158 – nearly four times the prime minister’s salary entitlement of £164,951. Just on salaries 188 council employees nationally had a higher salary than this, with 557 receiving total remuneration in excess of this.

Ms Roe, the now former director of culture, community and business services at Hampshire County Council who departed on 31st December 2022, had a salary of £120,133 to which was added a pension payment of £409,822 and loss-of-office payment of £121,203.

At NFDC a second executive topped the £100,000 mark only because of a loss-of-office payment of £75,058 added to the departing executive head of resources’ £73,427 salary, and £13,207 pension at 31st January 2023.

Serving 176,262 residents, NFDC’s management with over 700 staff run a net revenue budget of £22m (£14m from council tax) and a housing account with £30m from council house rents.

At BCP Council, with 1,315 staff serving 400,000 residents, the top earners were headed by chief executive Graham Farrant with £193,404 salary, but this was only just ahead of the corporate director of children’s services who had £28,662 pension added to their £164,725 salary for £193,387 total in the year.

The corporate director COO took £169,496 including £25,121 pension, but another in the top-earning quartet, the corporate director of adult social care, had a salary of £109,027 topped up with £18,971 pension and £44,502 compensation for loss of office as they departed in February 2023.

Completing the BCP top earners were 10 in undisclosed job roles whose salaries ranged from £102,500 to £137,500.

At the county council the chief executive was joined in the £200,000-plus bracket by Steve Crocker, director of children’s services and deputy chief executive, who collected £211,509 including £32,870 pension.

In the county’s data, Felicity Roe was just one of several top job redundancies with Stuart Jarvis, director economy, transport and environment taking £211,270 in the year before departing on 31st December 2022, with £91,714 for loss-of-office added to £119,556 salary.

Also out on 31st January 2022 were the unnamed assistant chief executive collecting £119,170, including £18,520 pension, and the director of HR, organisational development and communications who took £132,723 including £20,626 pension.

The list also details 29 HCC staff in undisclosed roles who were paid between £102,500 and £142,500.