Despite a £51,000 pay rise when he becomes prime minister, Gordon Brown will be out-earned by local government's top-performing chief executives. Research by the Hay Group reveals that although his new £187,611 pay packet is up 37% on his salary as chancellor, he earns less than many of his fellow heads of government and just 10% of private sector CEOs. He was also ranked behind counterparts in Holland, Finland and even Greece. When he takes over on 27 June, Mr Brown will earn less than half of US President Bush and less than several local authority chief executives. Peter Gilroy, the chief executive of Kent CC, gets £229,999 a year and Gerald Jones, chief executive of Wandsworth LBC, earns £227,424 according to the TaxPayers' Alliance. John Ransford, deputy chief executive of the Local Government Association, said: ‘Councils are responsible for ensuring that more than £100bn of taxpayers' money is spent wisely and provides the services local people want and need.
