Hampshire Council refuses to disclose top earners' salaries

Hampshire Council refuses to disclose top earners' salaries

Hampshire County Council has come under fire for refusing to detail salaries of its top earners.

The Taxpayers' Alliance has published a rich list, showing how much town halls across the country pay their top staff. But Hampshire refused to answer the Freedom of Information request for exact salaries, or say who earns what.

Each year the Council publishes a statement of accounts showing how many staff fall into each £10,000 pay bracket up to £209,999. But it claims disclosing the actual earnings of individuals would breach the Data Protection Act.

The chief executive, for instance, earns between £190,000 and £199,999 – more than the prime minister's £188,000. Now the Taxpayers' Alliance has hit back, saying members of the public fund council salaries and have a right to know what senior staff are being paid.

County council comes under fire for keeping salaries secret (Portsmouth News, 3 April 2008)