Council staff salaries: This is what senior officers at Calderdale Council get paid including its chief executive

They include the counci l chief executive Robin Tuddenham, who Tax Payers Alliance say receives £189,000 a year, comprising £161,000 in salary and £28,000 pension contributions.

The other five posts are director of regeneration and strategy (Shelagh O’Neill) – £159,000, comprising £136,000 salary and £23,000; director of children and young people’s services (Julie Jenkins) - £157,000, comprising £136,000 salary and £21,000 pension; director of public health (Debs Harkins) - £129,000, comprising £112,000 salary and £17,000 pension; director of public services (Ian Day) – £114,000, comprising £98,000 salary and £16,000 pension; and head of legal and democratic services (Ian Hughes) – £110,000, comprising 95,000 salary and £15,000 pension.

A Calderdale Council spokesperson said packages were in line with the duties and responsibilities the officers needed to carry out.

“The council provides hundreds of different services, with responsibility for delivering many important and complex statutory duties that make a huge difference to people’s lives.

“It’s important that the right people with the necessary skills, knowledge, abilities and experience can be appointed, and retained, to deliver this key work.

“The salaries paid to Calderdale Council employees are consistent with our pay policy and the salaries paid to managers and other specialist staff are in line with the role’s duties and responsibilities.

“Senior pay is always decided by democratically elected councillors in an open and transparent way and the full list of salaries for all chief officers at the council is reported annually at Governance and Business Committee and Full Council.

“We continue to look at where we can reduce spend across the organisation at the same time as delivering vital services for local people,” they said.

The council publishes – and the figures are considered by councillors – each January the remuneration policy and base salary details for 19 of its senior officers, with councillors approving this year’s at a full meeting of the authority in February.

For 2024-25, the base salary packages are as follows, according to the council’s published information.

Chief executive - £159,216; director of adult services and wellbeing - £129,155; director of children and young people’s services - £140,610; director of resources and transformation – £140,610; head of legal and democratic services – £97,810; director of regeneration and strategy – £140,610; director of public services – £134,882; director of public health – £116,507; head of human resources and organisational development - £97,810; assistant director for education and inclusion - £97,810; assistant director for early intervention and safeguarding - £107,158; assistant director for adult social care operations – £97,810; assistant director for integrated commissioning and partnerships – £97,810; assistant director for economy, housing and investment - £97,810; assistant director of customer services - £97,810; assistant director for neighbourhoods – £97,810; assistant director for IT and digital – £97,810; assistant director for strategic infrastructure – £97,810; assistant director for strategic property – £97,810.