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£110k+ salary for Wealden's top boss
Wealden's top council boss earns in excess of £110,000 a year, it has been revealed.
Charles Lant, chief executive of Wealden District Council, received a total salary package, including bonuses and allowances, of 111,662 in 2006-07.
This, however, was a tiny decrease from the 111,800 Mr Lant picked up in 2005-06.
The figures were revealed by the TaxPayers' Alliance in its annual 'Town Hall Rich List' survey of the top earners in local government.
Mr Lant is one of 818 council executives in the UK to have earned more than 100,000 in 2006-07, the report said.
The TaxPayers' Alliance sent requests under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) to every county, borough and district council in the country.
It asked for details of council officers and executives who earned more than 100,000.
The survey was then compiled from data provided by the councils themselves.
The final figures include basic salary, bonuses, benefits-in-kind, returning officer payments, car allowances, private medical insurance and redundancy payments.
Wealden District Council submitted a figure of 111,662 but refused to provide a name for the survey.
But the council this week confirmed to the Gazette the salary package was that earned by Charles Lant.
Isabel Garden, head of human resources at Wealden District Council, said, "It is our policy not to provide personal information about individual named members of staff.
"We were able to provide the TaxPayers' Alliance with the payment details of the only senior council officer who received a salary package in excess of 100,000. This was the chief executive."
But Mr Lant's pay was almost half that of top earner Peter Gould, chief executive of Northamptonshire County Council, who was paid 215,000.
The report also showed that 14 council bosses earned more than Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is paid 188,849 including his MPs salary, while 132 picked up a higher wage than cabinet ministers (137,579).
The TaxPayers' Alliance said that, unlike companies in the private sector and other public sector bodies, local authorities do not make executive salary details publicly available in their annual accounts.
And Ben Farrugia, the group's policy analyst, insisted the public should know what top council bosses are paid.
He said, "Some local government executives still feel that what they're paid is not the taxpayers' business. But with council tax bills now tipping many families over the edge, 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."
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