Britain’s town hall chiefs earn more than PM

LONDON - Town hall chiefs in Britain are raking in bigger salaries than the country’s Prime Minister David Cameron, according to latest figures released here.

Figures show that 43 percent of council officials earned more than 150,000 pounds ($240,000) last year in salaries and fees, compared to Cameron’s 142,500 pounds ($228,000) a year, the Daily Express reported.

The average earnings of 300 local authority chief executives is now 147,934 pounds, says the study by Incomes Data Services.

The highest paid officer was Gerald Jones, chief executive of the London Borough of Wandsworth, who received a total pay package of 299,925 pounds.

This was in basic salary, fees and allowances plus a bonus of covering an 18-month performance period.

At the other end of the scale, Adrian Dyer, chief executive of the West Somerset District Council is the lowest paid with a package of 62,261 pounds.

Nasreen Rahman, of Incomes Data Services, said: “With nearly half of all local authority chief executives earning more than the prime minister, town hall bosses will be facing tough questions from council taxpayers in the current climate.”