Revealed: How many council workers are paid more than the PM - and who earns the most

Hundreds of council employees earned more than the prime minister in the last financial year, new research suggests.

Sir Keir Starmer's official salary is £172,153 - but according to the TaxPayers' Alliance, 320 workers in local government were on a bigger pay packet in 2024/25.

The pressure group has claimed this has risen by a third over the past 12 months, with one executive at Staffordshire Council - whose job title is unknown - earning £457,000.

Overall, it is believed 4,733 council employees across the UK are now on a six-figure salary, and that's the highest level since the TaxPayers' Alliance began keeping records in 2007.

Of those, 1,255 took home at least £150,000 a year, an increase of 163 compared with the pressure group's last Town Hall Rich List report in 2025.

TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive John O'Connell said: "Taxpayers are caught in a pincer movement with a record-breaking tax burden on one side and a bloated public sector feathering its nest on the other.

"Our latest Town Hall Rich List exposes a surging class of council bosses enjoying six-figure packages, even as they plead poverty, slash frontline services and hike council tax bills far beyond inflation.

"Residents can see exactly how many local bureaucrats are receiving plush packages and judge for themselves whether they're getting value for money."

As reported by the Sky News Data and Forensics team, some households in England have seen exceptionally high council tax rises come into effect since the new financial year began.

A handful of local authorities have been allowed to raise their council tax rates higher than the usual 5% minimum as part of new finance arrangements.

North Somerset, Shropshire, and Worcestershire were permitted to raise their council tax by nearly 9%.

In Windsor & Maidenhead, Trafford and Warrington, residents saw council tax rise by nearly 7.5% while, in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole, council tax increased by more than 6.7%.

(c) Sky News 2026: Revealed: How many council workers are paid more than the PM - and who earns the most