THE Chief Executive of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) and three other staff members have been named on a list of the top-earning local government workers in the North.
It was revealed by the Tax Payers Alliance that the chief executive of FODC, Alison McCullagh, earns £148,393 per year and is one of 47 employees across the North’s 11 councils whose annual pay package was a six-figure sum in the 2022–23 financial year.
The Chief Executive’s wage is only £19,000 less than that of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who reportedly earned £167,391 in 2023.
It is also over £20,000 higher than the entitled wage of First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly, who reportedly are both able to earn an annual salary of £123,500.
Three other staff members of FODC were named on the list of top local government earners, all making annual salaries close to £90,000 per year.
The director of regeneration and planning, Kim McLaughlin, was listed as earning £92,586. The director of community and wellbeing, John Boyle, earns £91,028 and the director of environment and place, John News, earns £89,464.
The figures from the Taxpayers Alliance, which calls itself “Britain’s independent grassroots campaign for lower taxes,” include salary, pension contributions, benefits, expenses, and bonuses. Staff costs are estimated to account for around 40 percent of the total expenditure across the North’s 11 councils.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the Tax Payers’ Alliance, said, “The new financial year has seen council tax soar across the country, and taxpayers will notice that top brass pay has simultaneously surged.
“Local authorities provide crucial services, and residents will want to make sure they are getting bang for their buck with their ever-increasing bills.
“Residents can use these figures to ask whether precious funds are really going towards frontline services or whether town hall bosses can get better value for money.”
The highest-earning local government worker was Anne Donaghy, former chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Council, who reportedly earned £188,213 before resigning due to ill health.
The Council has been contacted for comment.
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