Kent CC has bowed to pressure from the Taxpayers Alliance to publish details on the number of senior officers earning more than £100,000 a year. Chief executive, Peter Gilroy, who earns £230,000 a year, had earlier blocked release of the information because he was concerned it might lead to senior staff being exposed to personal and abusive comments. However, after taking advice from its director of law and governance, Geoff Wilde, the county admitted there were 16 officers earning more than £100,000 last year – an increase of two compared with the financial year 2005/06. The Taxpayers Alliance had campaigned for the information to be made public under the Freedom of Information Act, but deputy council leader, Cllr Alex King, said: ‘It is Kent CC which is responsible for setting and justifying salary levels. It is not the individual officers who occupy the posts who should be regarded as accountable. It is unfortunate the debate has been allowed to take the form of personal attacks on individuals who have no part in the setting of salaries in the way that it has.' Kent employs some 45,000 full and part-time staff and is the largest county council serving a population of 1.5 million and with an annual budget of almost £5bn.