Sunderland council officer 'was second-highest earning council employee in UK' totalling £573,000 in salary and benefits, according to Town Hall Rich List

The Taxpayers’ Alliance, a right-wing think-tank formed to campaign for a low-tax society, has published its annual ‘Town Hall Rich List’, which claims Sunderland City Council had the ‘highest-paid’ official in the North East, second in the country.

The local authority’s executive director of neighbourhoods, who is no longer in post, received a total package of £573,550, which broke down as £178,402 salary, £362,361 pension contributions and £32,787 compensation for loss of office.

Another employee, executive director of city development Peter McIntyre, earned £259,854 including a backdated pay settlement of an unspecified amount.

The remuneration of the council’s most senior employees is a matter of public record, freely available to anyone via their website.

The website shows chief executive Patrick Melia with a salary and expenses totalling £194,474, plus pension contributions of £38,700; total £233,174.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance ‘Town Hall Rich List’ puts the number of officials receiving more than £100,000 nationally was 2,759, with 721 getting over £150,000.

The council’s figures under its own transparency code shows six officials receiving total remuneration of between £149,161 and £573,550 in 2021-22.

For the third year running, the North East authority with the most employees receiving in excess of £100,000 was Northumberland, with 23. The biggest single remuneration package was the £607,633 received by the managing director of Guildford in Surrey.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: “Taxpayers facing record council tax rises want to be sure they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership.

“Many authorities continue with extremely generous pay and perks, including bonuses and golden goodbyes, while local people are facing a financial squeeze. Residents can use these figures to hold their local town hall bosses to account.”

In response, Sunderland City Council told the Echo: “We continue to deliver crucial services during the cost of living crisis, including services to thousands of vulnerable adults and children, and are delivering hundreds of millions of pounds of investment that is making Sunderland a more dynamic, healthy and vibrant city.

"This work involves major social and legal responsibilities and remuneration to senior and ex-staff, including pensions and benefits where they have left after long service, can reflect this.”