More than 200 council employees in London earned more than the Prime Minister last year, according to a new analysis by the TaxPayers' Alliance. The research found that 213 local authority staff across the capital, including chief executives and finance directors, received pay packages exceeding Prime Minister Keir Starmer's salary of £172,153, which includes salary, pension contributions, and bonuses.
In terms of salary alone, 121 employees earned more than the Prime Minister, marking a nearly 25% increase from the previous year when 97 council workers out-earned him. Across the UK, 320 council staff earned more than the Prime Minister in 2024-25, up by around a third year-on-year.
In London, 1,040 council employees received six-figure pay packets in 2024-25, an increase of 219 compared with the previous year. The highest-paid local government employee was Claire Spencer, managing director of the Barbican Centre at the City of London Corporation, who received £373,000. She was followed by Niall Bolger, former chief executive of Hounslow Council, on £323,168, and Pippa Hack, director of place and growth at Greenwich Council, on £310,825.
Westminster City Council had the highest number of six-figure earners, with 92 staff paid more than £100,000—up by 19 year-on-year and a twelvefold increase since 2005-06, when just seven employees crossed that threshold. Fifteen Westminster staff earned more than the Prime Minister, the highest of any London borough, followed by the City of London (12) and Wandsworth (11).
A Westminster Council spokesperson said the rise reflects gradual national pay increases and the need to attract specialist talent for a major central London authority. They added: “The council is not hiring significantly more staff into roles paying over £100k per year. Primarily, this increase is accounted for by gradual annual pay increases. These are agreed nationally.”
