Council chiefs feature in Taxpayers' Alliance 'Town Hall Rich List'

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council had five mentions in the 11th Town Hall Rich List published by the TaxPayers’ Alliance which notes all local authority staff to have received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2016-17.

Chief executive Melbourne Barrett was the borough's highest earner on the rundown, receiving a £128,978 in salary, allowances and benefits in kind with £16,395 in employer pension contributions also noted.

The second highest earner was, rather than a director of the council, former head of law and governance Lisa Kirkman, who received £116,257 in salary, allowances and benefits in kind, though around nearly £51,000 of this came from contract termination costs. Her overall pay with pension contributions was £124,372.

Meanwhile, executive director of finance and resources, Kevin Jaquest, received £113,906, while the executive director of borough services Rebecca Emmett was paid £112,049 - both of these include around £12,000 in pension contributions.

Former project director for the Manydown development, Richard Bayley, was the final name on the list, receiving £107,016 in 2016-17, with a pension contribution just shy of £12,000.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council spokesperson Sara Shepherd said: “To support transparency about how much people running public services are paid, we publish information about senior employee salaries on our website.

"These figures should be put into the context of the council’s ambitious vision to grow and develop the borough and to deliver a range of aspirational and complex projects for the benefit of our residents, while also delivering high quality services to our residents.”

All of the above figures are published in the council's Statement of Accounts which is accessible on the authority's website.

The TaxPayers' Alliance has argued the wages of authority chiefs should be reduced to reflect tax rises and service reductions in many authorities across the country.