Newly published figures show that two Basingstoke Borough Council staff earn six-figure salaries.
Earlier this month pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance published their Town Hall Rich List highlighting all local government personnel earning over £100,000.
The figures show that borough council chief executive Tony Curtis earned £139,470 during 2009/2010.
This breaks down into a basic salary of £115,476, benefits in kind of £7,168 and a pension of £16,826.
And corporate director Dorcas Bunton earned £125,214. This was made up of a salarary of £103,030, benefits in kind of £7,162 and a pension of £15,022.
Mr Curtis defended his salary saying a similar role in the private sector would take home at least double a chief executive’s average salary.
He said: “It is right for local people to know how much the people running their public services are being paid and I understand why, particularly in the recession when people are struggling to make ends meet, these may seem like large salaries.
“But it needs to be put in context of what these roles involve in an organisation of this size and complexity.
“A role in the private sector with a similar turnover and assets and responsible for 600 staff would earn, according to recent surveys, at least double the basic salary of the average district chief executive.”
But director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance Matthew Sinclair hit out at council paychecks. He urged senior staff to set an example and cut back on their own salaries.
He said: “Councils insist cuts can only mean pressure on frontline services but they clearly have money to spend when it comes to paying their own senior staff.
“Councils should be scouring every inch of their expenditure to identify savings, so taxpayers will be staggered that so many council employees are still getting such a generous deal.”
Mr Curtis is responsible for overseeing the running of the authority. Basingstoke is the 12th largest district council in England. It oversees property worth £250m and investments worth £150m.
He does not set his own salary and the overall pay package is based on performance. Both Mr Curtis and Ms Bunton received raises for the previous year of 2.7 per cent and 1.9 per cent, respectively.
Across the country, 2,295 council staff were paid more than £100,000 and 48 employees took home more than £250,000.
