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Taxpayers’ Alliance data reveals 33 council bosses in Lincolnshire earn more than £100,000 a year




Data has revealed that 33 council bosses in Lincolnshire earn more than £4.6 million a year combined.

While cash-strapped authorities raise council taxes each year, the pay of their executives seems to follow suit.

Data from the Taxpayers’ Alliance reveals the council officers across the country who earn more than £100,000 a year, including salaries and pension contributions, expenses and other associated costs.

Lincolnshire County Council sign
Lincolnshire County Council sign

Across the last two years, councils in Lincolnshire have opted for back-to-back council tax increases at an average rate of between 3 and 4% across the county, but the salaries of the chief executives for these councils have also gone up.

West Lindsey District Council is where the largest jump can be seen. The chief executive Ian Knowles now earns £132,289 according to the most recent data, up 8.14% from the £122,325 rate of 2022’s Taxpayers Alliance Town Hall Rich List.

This comes at a time where council tax in West Lindsey has gone up 2.99% in each of the last two calendar years. However, the chief executive is the only position on West Lindsey District Council to surpass the £100,000 requirement for inclusion in the list.

Debbie Barnes
Debbie Barnes

City of Lincoln Council’s CEO Angela Andrews’ pay has soared 5.67% to £130,602 from 2022 to 2024, while council tax crept up 2.99% in 2023, and 2.92% in 2024.

The lowest-paid chief executive in Lincolnshire is Ian Fytche of North Kesteven District Council, who earned £127,286 in 2022/23.

Collectively, all of Lincolnshire’s chief executives earned a combined salary of £859,872, with Lincolnshire County Council chief executive Debbie Barnes leading the way.

She earned a base salary of £191,808 in 2022/23, with pension contributions of £33,566 bringing the overall remuneration total to £225,374, over £30,000 more than any other council officer in Lincolnshire..

The local authority with the most officers to earn over £100,000 is Lincolnshire County Council, with as many as 14 officers surpassing the six-figure threshold, the most of any council in the entire East Midlands region.

In fact, the county council holds seven of the top 10 paid positions in the county’s local authority sector.

Debbie Barnes defended her pay by saying Lincolnshire had one of the lowest tax rates in the country, and said residents got good value for money with council bosses being in charge of large staff bases and multi-million pound departments.

She said: “We have a relatively small senior management team for an organisation of our size, and the number of managers has been significantly reduced over the last decade.

“To attract and retain people with the necessary skills and experience, we have to pay a competitive salary.”

Other notable inclusions on the list are Lincolnshire’s director for public health Derek Ward, who earns £139,273 annually with a £20,027 pension contribution last year, and the chief fire officer Mark Baxter, who earns £124,574 with a £35,112 pension.

The Lincolnshire top 10 for these remunerations in 2022/23 are:

LCC chief executive: £191,808 salary with £33,566 pension = £225,374

* LCC deputy chief executive and exec director of resources: £163,492 salary with £28,611 pension = £192,103

* SKDC chief executive: £135,000 salary with £15,000 expenses, £13,000 other costs, £24,000 pension = £187,000

LCC executive director of children’s services: £149,370 salary with £33,476 pension = £182,846

SKDC Strategic director: £96,000 salary with £56,000 compensation for loss of office, £17,000 pension = £169,000

BBC chief executive (merger with SHDC and ELDC): £142,887 salary with £109 expenses and £24,437 pension = £167,433

LCC executive director of adult care and community wellbeing: £141,370 salary with £24,740 pension = £166,110

LCC executive director of place: £141,370 salary with £24,740 pension = £166,110

LCC chief fire officer: £124,574 salary with £35,112 pension = £159,686

LCC director of public health: £139,273 salary with £20,027 pension = £159,300

Neither South Holland District Council nor East Lindsey District Council presented accounts for 2024, following the introduction of a group model adopted by the two authorities and Boston Borough Council, known as the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.

It has seen cost burdens from paying high earners cut dramatically, with Boston Borough Council’s joint chief executive Robert Barlow earning £142,887 last year. It is the only chief executive role in the partnership to be listed in the 2024 Town Hall list.

Collectively, the three councils have five officers earning over £100,000, which is the same as South Kesteven District Council alone, and nine fewer than the county council itself.

However, it appears to have been a much-needed measure, particularly in East Lindsey, where the chief executive salary elevated an eye-watering 13.99% in 2022/23, the same year council tax went up by just over 3%.

The partnership says it has identified some £24 million in savings since its formation, not least from the merging of senior management teams.

Elsewhere, in Rutland, only the chief executive’s salary is more than £100,000. He earns £138,621, and with pension contributions, it takes the total to £165,652. The four strategic directors also have combined totals, topping £100,000.



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