The huge number of local council staff earning more than the prime minister

Politics
14 Apr 2026 • 3:36 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

image is not available

  • More than 300 local council employees across the UK earned over Sir Keir Starmer’s £172,153 official salary during the 2024-25 financial year.
  • The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) annual Town Hall Rich List report revealed that 320 council workers out-earned the Labour leader, a third more than the previous year.
  • A total of 4,733 council employees in Britain and Northern Ireland are now paid more than £100,000, marking the highest level since the TPA began its record-keeping in 2007.
  • Within this group, 1,255 individuals earned at least £150,000 in the past year, an increase of over 163 people compared to the previous data.
  • John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, criticised the 'bloated public sector' for high salaries while council tax rises and frontline services are cut.

IN FULL