A TOTAL of 40 Essex County Council employees took home £100,000 or more last year, it has been revealed.

The authority was found to have the most employees receiving remuneration in excess of £100,000 in the UK, five more than the previous year.

The figures, published in the TaxPayers’ Alliance’s 14th Town Hall Rich List, analysed data from councils across the country.

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Boss - Gavin Jones is Essex County Council’s chief executive

Essex County Council’s chief executive Gavin Jones brought home the most money with a salary of £196,950 and a pension of £31,709.

Dr Michael Gogarty, director of wellbeing, public health and communities, took home £165,087 and a pension of £26,579.

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “We are one of the largest councils in England and one of the highest performing – because we have invested in high-quality staff who ensure the council delivers value for money for residents.

“Despite all the pressures which Covid-19 has brought, we will not be increasing our share of their council tax bills this year.”

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Earnings - Colchester Council’s chief executive Adrian Pritchard

Colchester Council’s chief executive Adrian Pritchard earned £104,463 last year.

A Colchester Borough Council spokesperson said: “All the information on Colchester Borough Council’s senior staff salaries is in the public domain and can be accessed online.”

"We publish salary data based on salaries not including pension contributions.

“On this basis there are currently just two employees, including the chief executive, with a salary in excess of £100,000.”

The council confirmed no Colchester Council employees earns more than £150,000.

Tendring Council’s boss Ian Davidson took home a salary of £132,433 last year and a pension of £21,984.

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On the list - Tendring Council’s boss Ian Davidson

A total of £307,900 was taken home between three Tendring Council employees last year.

The details for other employee on the rich list for the council were undisclosed.

A spokesperson for Tendring Council said all staff are paid in accordance with national pay scales for local authorities.

He added: “We regularly benchmark these rates to ensure we are in line with best practice across the country.

“All of our staff work extremely hard for Tendring taxpayers and offer real value for money in what they do and achieve for the district.

“The chief executive and corporate directors are no exception to this, and these roles also come with a lot of personal responsibility for the council as a whole.”

Here is the list for all Essex County Council, Tendring Council and Colchester Council. 

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