A NEW list of high earning Council employees has revealed the huge salaries of Bradford Council bosses.

Published annually by the Taxpayers Alliance, the Town Hall Rich List details the top earners in Council’s across the country.

This year’s list says the top earning Council employee in Yorkshire is Kersten England, Chief Executive of Bradford Council, who is listed as earning £228,350 last year.

However, Bradford Council has said this includes pension contributions - something many other Yorkshire Council’s, including Leeds, do not report.

Not including these contributions, Ms England earned a salary of £194,628.

By comparison, Chief Executive of neighbouring Leeds Council, Tom Riordan, was paid £185,896.

Including pension contributions there were 10 Bradford Council staff earning more than £100,000 a year.

Not including pension contributions, there were six roles in the Council other than Chief Executive with a salary of over £100,000 - Director of Corporate Resources (£147,000), Director of Children’s Services (£143,000), City Solicitor (£105,000), Director of Finance and IT (£105,000) and Director of Human Resources (£105,000).

Bradford Council defends senior staff pay of over £100,000

The Director of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, which is administered by Bradford Council but paid for by all West Yorkshire Local Authorities, is a role with a £111,000 salary.

The Taxpayers' Alliance says Leeds had the highest amount of staff on more than £100,000 - with 26 earning at least that amount not including pension contributions.

The highest remunerated council employee in 2020-21 was the now former chief executive of Croydon Council, receiving £613,895 in total remuneration. This included a loss of office payment of £144,356, pension strain payment of £292,851, salary of £151,474 and a pension contribution of £25,214.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “The salaries the Council pays to its senior staff are in line with the rate such staff are paid across the sector, they earn less than senior level posts in other sectors, yet the responsibility they hold is huge.

“Particularly at times like this when local government have been at the frontline of supporting communities and businesses throughout the pandemic and working closely with our NHS organisations through times of increased demand.

“Bradford is the fifth largest metropolitan district council in the country with a gross budget of over £1 billion and a workforce of more than 8,000 staff delivering vital public services to over half a million residents and 17,000 businesses.”