Local government leaders have slated the Taxpayers' Alliance for peddling inaccurate and out-of-date information on council salaries of senior council executives. The LGA also condemned the campaign group for attacks on people who are unable to defend themselves. John Ransford, deputy chief executive of the LGA, defended the salary levels paid to council chief executives and stressed: ‘Many councils have bigger budgets than FTSE100 companies, and to get the brightest people to deliver the best services for local people, they need to pay a competitive wage. ‘When senior salaries in the private sector are compared with senior salaries in the public sector, the taxpayer gets very good value for money.' The LGA has also pointed out that five out of the top 10 chief executives and their salaries in the latest Town Hall rich list published by the alliance are retired. The list claims it has details of 818 highest-paid council executives earning more than £100,000 a year. ‘The naming of individuals by the Taxpayers' Alliance needs to be taken with an immense dollop of salt as its report is not only out-of-date but some parts have also been compiled inaccurately,' said Mr Ransford. ‘It is unfortunate the alliance has taken the form of personal attacks on individual people who have no part in the setting of salaries' and no chance to defend themselves. These figures represent 0.0005% of the total workforce in local government. Councils are responsible for ensuring that more than £100bn of taxpayers' money is spent wisely, and provides more than 700 services local people want and need.' However, Ben Farrugia, policy analyst at the alliance, said: ‘It is more important than ever that councils are open and transparent about their costs. Council employees must be accountable to the local residents who pay them.'
