Highest paid council bosses in Greater Manchester revealed in ‘town hall rich list’

More than 170 council staff across Greater Manchester have six-figure salaries, according to a new town-hall ‘rich list’.

Campaigners from the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) have shared data from 2024-25 revealing the senior council bosses taking home £100,000 or more each year.

Each person and job role featured in the ‘rich list’ appears next to their salary and pension, although there are several ‘undisclosed’ job titles and names included.

There are a total of 175 posts from across Greater Manchester’s councils featured in the report. This is up from the 97 Greater Manchester council workers included in the 2021 version of the list.

The TPA said there is a rising trend of senior council staff earning bumper salaries nationally.

According to its data, there were 4,733 local authority employees receiving £100,000 or more in 2024-25 across the country, up by 827 from 2023-24.

It comes as council taxpayers in many parts of the country are facing rising bills and in some cases cuts to local services as struggling town halls make difficult decisions to balance the books.

Chief executives in Greater Manchester’s town halls act as the head of paid services and tend to pocket the most income from their line of work.

From Greater Manchester’s ten councils Manchester features most in the TPA’s ‘rich list’, with 35 roles earning £100,000 or more.

The figures are from 2024-25 so some salaries and job posts have changed since then.

Top earners at Manchester council include chief executive Tom Stannard, who takes home £220,982 a year, the town hall said.

The TPA data also lists £160,000 salaries for senior leaders at Manchester council, including the city solicitor, executive director of adult social service, and strategic director for growth and development.

A council spokesperson said: “Manchester is one of the largest councils in the UK with an annual budget of more than £1bn devoted to a wide range of services for Manchester residents.

“It’s vitally important that the people responsible for overseeing those services, and how that budget is spent, have the right skills, experience and expertise. In order to attract and retain the calibre of senior staff the city needs, we pay in line with equivalent roles in other similar-sized councils.

“We are wholly transparent about senior officer pay and these figures are published on our website. Our staffing structure and pay are closely monitored to ensure they are appropriate and deliver the results the city needs.”

On the other side of the Irwell, Salford council had the second highest number of high-paid roles in Greater Manchester to feature in the rich list, with a total of 23.

This included a £180,000 paypacket for the chief executive, and three executive directors each earning more than £140,000 a year.

Similarly in Wigan, the council featured 22 times in the town hall ‘rich list’ with chief executive Alison Mckenzie-Folan getting £205,000 a year.

Directors of children’s services, place, and adult social care at Wigan council also appeared in the list, each taking home sums of more than £160,000.

Tameside council appeared the least amount of times in the list from Greater Manchester’s town halls, with six roles taking home salaries of £100,000 or above.

Sitting in the middle of the pack was Bury council with 16 high-paying positions, with chief executive Lynne Ridsdale the biggest earner at £202,000 a year.

A Bury council spokesperson pointed out that it manages a revenue budget of more than £250m and is the borough’s largest employer, with around 5,000 members of staff working across hundreds of services.

They added: “Unlike many councils, we have an integrated leadership team with NHS GM, of which our chief executive is place lead as well as being the council’s CEO, plus holding two portfolios at the GMCA.

“Her salary reflects this level of responsibility, and is in line with similar posts offered elsewhere.

“Our senior leadership team has secured unprecedented investment to transform all towns in our borough; from major regeneration projects in Bury, Radcliffe and Prestwich, to the Northern Gateway site on our border.

“These schemes will hugely benefit our economy, create new jobs and improve the health and quality of life for our residents for generations to come.”

Commenting on the national data included in the town hall rich list, John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, 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.”

How many times each Greater Manchester council appeared in the TaxPayers’ Alliance town hall ‘rich list’:

• Manchester – 35 roles – £220,982 for chief executive (chief executive salary provided by council)
• Salford – 23 roles – £180,623 for chief executive
• Wigan – 22 roles – £205,178 for chief executive
• Oldham – 20 roles – £160,000 for chief executive
• Trafford – 18 roles – £195,207 for chief executive
• Bury – 16 roles – £202,000 for chief executive
• Stockport – 13 roles – £201,644 for chief executive
• Bolton – 12 roles – £195,712 for chief executive
• Rochdale – 10 roles – £156,000 for chief executive
• Tameside – six roles – £147,757 for chief executive