These are the Bristol City Council staff who earn more than the prime minister

The coverage of the second-job scandal has led to widespread outrage at the earnings of certain members of parliament.

While Bristol’s MPs remained relatively unscathed by the public scrutiny, a question mark still hangs over the salaries commanded by public sector employees in the South West.

In light of this, we look back at the Bristol City Council’s published accounts for 2020/2021, which reveal some of the local authority’s top earners.

While prime minister Boris Johnson is paid for both his roles as PM and an MP, several of the council’s employees earn more than the his total income of £161,000.

In fact, a total of ten senior employees of Bristol City Council rake in six-figure sums.

This report shows the pay grades for the city director and chief officer posts as at December 31 2020 – courtesy of Bristol City Council

Among the top earners at City Hall are the chief executive, Mike Jackson, who has previously held the same position in North Somerset. Jackson earns £168,403.53 per year.

His appointment in 2018 as the executive director for resources and head of paid services formed part of a reshuffling of the council’s top jobs as the authority aimed to cut costs.

At the time, a Bristol City Council spokesperson said Jackson’s “starting salary” was positioned “at the middle to lower end of senior management salaries” in comparison with roles at similar sized councils.

Mike Jackson is Bristol City Council’s chief executive and highest earner – photo: Bristol City Council

Other executive directors at City Hall who also earned more than the prime minister in the most recent pay figures are Jacqui Jensen, who was executive director for people; and Stephen Peacock, who is executive director of growth and regeneration.

Both senior roles’ annual salaries match Jackson’s at nearly £170,000.

As reported by the local democracy reporting service, the two each also received £36,163 towards their pension, taking their total remuneration to £205,701 apiece.

As well as the council’s executives, seven senior council positions are entitled to salaries exceeding £100,000.

The council also paid six-figure sums to secure services from various individuals on an interim basis.

Chris Smith, consultant to the board of council’s failed Bristol Energy company, was paid £242,101 in salary, fees and allowances from April 2020 to March 2021.

Clean air zone communication and engagement director Nicki Beardmore also earned a salary close to a quarter of a million, costing taxpayers £218,000.

In response to these figures, a Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “Salaries of the most senior officers at Bristol City Council are agreed by a cross-party human resources committee.

“They reflect the roles and responsibilities of senior officers who lead a billion-pound organisation with over 6,500 employees and responsible for running a city of half a million people, with 183,000 households and an economy worth over £14 billion.

“To ensure our management structure remains efficient and value for money, the number of senior positions has been reduced over the past four years which has saved the council over £1m a year.”

Main photo by Martin Booth

Read more: ‘Still significant work to do’ as Bristol City Council pay gaps revealed

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