BARNSLEY Council’s highest-earning employees collectively cost the town’s taxpayers more than £2m in wages and pensions in a single year, new figures released this week revealed.
The Taxpayers’ Alliance’s ‘Town Hall Rich List’ compiled a list of staff members breaching the £100,000-a-year bracket in 2023/24.
Top earner was chief executive Sarah Norman, whose total package included a wage of £192,000 and a pension contribution of £31,000, totalling £223,000.
Wendy Lowder, the now-retired executive director for place, health and adult social care was the second highest with a £154,000 salary and a £25,000 pension.
Children’s services boss Carly Speechley and growth and sustainability director Matt O’Neill both pocketed £138,000, while core services leader Wendy Popplewell and finance director Neil Copley also surpassed the £120,000-a-year mark, as well as £20,000 pension top-ups.
It meant the top seven earners - combining both salaries and pensions - surpassed £1m, although there were ten further undisclosed employees on £107,500 each and two more on £102,500.
The Chronicle can reveal that the total cost came in at £2,297,000.
A Taxpayers’ Alliance spokesman said: “First compiled in 2007, the Town Hall Rich List 2025 marks the 19th edition.
“Every year the Taxpayers’ Alliance has compiled a comprehensive list of all local authority employees receiving total remuneration over £100,000.
“For the average band D property, taxpayers in England will have to pay a council tax rise of 4.99 per cent in Barnsley in 2025/26.
“We seek to ensure transparency surrounding local authority employees receiving over £100,000 in total remuneration - the number of such employees has risen to the highest recorded level.
“Many staff are reported as receiving salaries between £90,000 and £99,999, but their total renumeration is likely to exceed that when other pension contributions are taken into account.
“As such, the total number of employees receiving over £100,000 in total renumeration is likely to exceed the identified number.”
Aside from service bosses, there are 63 councillors - three in 21 wards - and each receive between £10,720 and £11,823 through a basic allowance.
In addition to their annual salary, some councillors receive special responsibility pay for carrying out extra duties, such as serving on the council’s ruling cabinet, or chairing committees including planning, scrutiny or licensing boards.
Council leader Sir Steve Houghton was paid the most at £40,917, with deputy leader of the council Caroline Makinson second as she received more than £30,000.
Coun Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for core services, added: “We’re a large organisation and must remain competitive in the marketplace to continue to attract the best talent and deliver our ambitious plans for Barnsley.
“Our salaries are competitive to make sure we can both attract and retain the best candidates.
“We publish information about the salaries of our senior officers on our website and will continue to be transparent with this.
“The salaries of most of our employees are graded using the National Joint Council Job Evaluation Scheme structure.
“As a council, we support around 244,000 people and all of our employees play a vital role in delivering the various services that our residents see on a day-to-day basis.
“Our external auditors reviewed our annual statement of accounts for the 2023/24 financial year and believe we get value for money, while the recent LGA Corporate Peer Challenge noted that we manage our finances well and have a good understanding of our financial position and any associated risks.”
