EIGHT ARGYLL and Bute Council officers received a salary of more than £89,000 in the 2023/24 financial year, research has revealed.
The authority’s chief executive Pippa Milne headed the list of its earners published in an annual report by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, with a reported salary of £143,625.
Executive directors Douglas Hendry and Kirsty Flanagan each had a salary slightly over £118,000, while three undisclosed posts were paid £117,500, £107,500 and £102,500.
Completing the list of those whose salaries were published in the report were Live Argyll general manager Kevin Anderson, and head of children and families and criminal justice David Gibson. Their salaries were reported as £89,237.
The figures were revealed in the annual Town Hall Rich List, which was published by the TaxPayers’ Alliance for the 19th time.
It found that at least 3,906 council employees across the UK received total remuneration of £100,000 or more during the 2023/24 financial year – more than 25 per cent up on the previous year.
It also discovered that at least 262 received total remuneration in excess of £200,000, which was a 50 per cent increase on the 12 months before.
Fifteen councils across the UK did not provide accounts for 2023/24 by Tuesday, March 25. East Dunbartonshire was the only one in Scotland in that category.
A spokesperson for the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) said: “Despite consistent calls about stretched budgets and struggling services, there has been a surge in the number of senior officials receiving six- figure remuneration packages at the same time that councils have seen boosts in revenues through council tax rises and increased funding from central government.
“The TPA is calling on ministers to provide councils with more flexibility over how they use grant funding and is calling on councils to launch major efficiency drives to limit future council tax increases.”
At Argyll and Bute’s two neighbouring councils, Highland Council’s interim chief executive received a salary of £154,628, while West Dunbartonshire Council’s chief executive’s salary was £144,584.
Andrew Galloway Local Democracy Reporter
