TOP local authority earners whose packages totalled more than £100,000 a year have been compiled in a controversial report.
The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) has drawn up the "rich list" of council bosses whose total annual remuneration including employer pension contributions reaches six figures.
But it's sparked a war of words between the TPA and councils.
Gloucestershire County Council's boss Peter Bungard earned £161,235 in 2011/12 plus £36,923 in pension contributions, which meant his package went up by just over £1,000 on the year before.
The TPA said the council was employing three more whose total package came to more than £100,000 than the previous year – up from eight to 11 – but the council disagreed.
Dilys Wynn, director of people services, said: "These figures are wrong. We have not increased the number of senior posts since 2010/11 when we put in place a new management structure with 30 per cent less senior posts, saving the council around £800,000 per year."
He added that there had been a senior management pay freeze since 2008 and this will continue.
But the TPA stood by its figures as outlined in its report, however.
"£198,369 for the chief executive is high, even compared to the huge pay we see in local government," said a TPA spokesman. "It's far more than the Prime Minister, the top general in the British Army, the head of MI5 or a US Senator earns."
The TPA figures showed Cheltenham Borough Council paid one more director more than £100,000 than it did the year before – up from four in 2010/11 to five in 2011/12. Its chief executive Andrew North's total package was worth £128,914, down by around £9,000 on the year before. It also employed a programme manager who jointly worked for Cotswold, West Oxfordshire, Central Bedfordshire and Forest of Dean councils in 2010/11, whose total remuneration including employer pension contribution was £103,897.
A CBC spokeswoman said the chief executive was the only officer who earned more than £100,000 in salary alone.
She said: "If the pension contributions are included for these employees, then there are four posts for Cheltenham. However, pension contributions are not paid as salary but are paid to the pension fund.
"In reality it is actually three posts which are the chief executive and two executive directors."
Tewkesbury's boss Mike Dawson earned £107,500 last year and with employers pension contributions it came to £120,302, up from £120,435 the previous year.
Forest of Dean District Council has no employees on more than £100,000, though had two the year before.
Gloucester City Council boss Julian Wain's 2011/12 salary was £116,185, which rose to £133,809 with employer pension contributions. That was a raise of just over £1,400 over the previous year's total package.
Stroud District Council boss David Hagg got a total remuneration of £133,399.33p in 2010/11. The next year he earned £110,569.96p, plus £19,223.78p in employer pension contributions.
Cotswold District Council boss David Neudegg got a total package worth £100,988 in 2010/11 and earned £75,813 last year, plus pension and other contributions which took his total to £91,618 – but he is a joint chief executive, with West Oxfordshire District Council and the cost is split.
"Our chief executive is shared with West Oxfordshire and we believe by doing that we are giving good value for money to our council tax payers," said a council spokesman.