THREE West Berkshire Council officers are now drawing salaries of over £100,000 for the first time, a pressure group has claimed.
In previous years, only chief executive Nick Carter was awarded a six-figure salary by the local authority, but he has now been joined by the corporate directors of two other district council departments.
According to the Taxpayer's Alliance, Mr Carter's total remuneration last year was £132,431, including a £5,000 car allowance, totalling a pay rise of 4.6 per cent on the previous year.
Corporate Director for the Environment, John Ashworth, and Corporate Director for Children and Young People, Margaret Goldie, both received £101,494, including the car allowance.
They are among 1,022 people in councils across the country now earning six-figure sums.
Maria Fort, of the TayPayer's Alliance, said: “The size of executives' pay and perks is staggering, and every year the cost continues to rise. Councils must start tightening their belts – we’re in a recession and many of these rewards are financially unsustainable and morally indefensible.”
The executive councillor for strategy and performance, Anthony Stansfeld (Con, Kintbury) said: “If you are employing directors to oversee public expenditure in excess of £200 million it is vital you have the right people, and you won't get them if you don't pay a going rate.
“Even though housing costs in West Berkshire are among the highest in the country, our directors' pay is still lower than most of our neighbouring authorities.”
He said that the Government needed to address whether civil service and local authority pay was now out of line with the public sector.