Cash-strapped council defends decision to pay 25 staff more than £100,000

A cash-strapped council has defended its decision to pay dozens of staff more than £100,000.

According to research from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, Cornwall Council is paying 25 employees six-figure packages, with its chief executive receiving a total remuneration of nearly £240,000.

The figures come from the TaxPayers' Alliance Town Hall Rich List 2026, which tracks senior council staff pay across the UK using councils' own published accounts.

Chief executive Kate Kennally received a salary of £201,661, but her full package, including a £36,640 pension contribution, came to £239,479.

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She is among the top 15 per cent of council chief executives nationally, ranking 71st out of 513 in the dataset by total remuneration.

The second-highest earner at Cornwall is the chief fire officer at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, whose total package reached £202,951.

Their pension contribution alone was £55,457, on a salary of £147,493.

Strategic director Sophie Hosking received £198,556 in total, while strategic director Allison Bulman took home £188,706.

Of the 25 employees on six-figure packages, only five are named in the council's published accounts.

The remaining 20 are listed as "undisclosed" - a legal position, as English councils are only required to name staff with a salary over £150,000.

Seven Cornwall council employees earned more than £150,000 in total remuneration and two topped £200,000.

The combined pay bill for all 25 employees exceeded £3.38million.

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Cornwall ranks 45th nationally out of 382 councils for the number of employees earning over £100,000, placing it in the top 12 per cent.

In the south west of England, it is second only to Somerset, which had 42 such employees.

Cornwall council defended the pay levels, saying it was one of the country's largest authorities with more than 5,000 staff, the BBC reports.

It argued wages reflected the need to attract experienced people to run services, including children's and adults' social care.

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, told GB News: "Cornish taxpayers will be frustrated to see 25 council staff on six-figure packages while council tax bills keep rising.

"When residents are paying more for less, town hall bosses must justify these pay packets.

"Taxpayers deserve full transparency over where their money is going, especially at the top of the payroll."

Nationally, a record 4,733 council employees received more than £100,000 in 2024-25, according to the Rich List's 20th annual edition.

Council staff earning over £150,000 also hit a record high of 1,255.

The research is based on 2024-25 accounts, the most recent full financial year available and uses total remuneration rather than salary alone, to reflect the full cost to the taxpayer.

That includes pension contributions, bonuses and any loss of office payments.

The average total pay for Cornwall's 25 high earners was £135,484 - slightly below the south west regional average of £140,419.

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