Warrington comes top in Town Hall rich list

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WARRINGTON has come top of a new North West Town Hall Rich List.
The list – compiled annualiy by the Taxpayers’Alliance – covers the financial years 2011-12 and 2012-13, which are the most recent full years for which information is available.
It shows Warrington, along with neighbouring Cheshire West and Chester and Knowsley, as having 15 staff members each who were paid more than £100,000 in total.
But Warrington Borough Council moved swiftly to respond to the claim.
A spokesperson said: “The council currently employs four members of staff who receive a salary of more than £100,000 per year.
“Last year, the council underwent a senior management restructure which ;provided a saving of £200,000 a year, which included reducing the number of directors from four to three.”
The Taxpayers’ Alliance says its Town Hall Rich List is the only way to compare different authorities and its significance has been recognised in Parliament, where it has been referred to by MPs on both sides of the House.
But it admits that levels of disclosure are not ideal, with standards of transparency varying enormously between local authorities.
Key findings of the research include a five per cent fall nationally in the number of council employees receiving total remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2012-13 compared with the previous year – a drop from 2,295 to 2,181.
Despite this, 93 councils increased the number of staff who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2012 -13 .
These six figure remuneration packages cost nearly £300 million in 2012-13.
The Taxpayers’ Alliance claims the total number of 2,181 people earning six figures sums in 2012-13 is an understatement.
“The opacity of some councils’ accounts makes it impossible to separate teaching staff from council staff.”


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Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.

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