£850,000 for Milton Keynes Council’s best-paid senior staff

The best paid was then-chief executive Carole Mills, who took home £184,842 in 2017-18.

But the figures, compiled by pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, show that five other senior members of staff were paid £100,000 or more in 12 months.

And that includes pension contributions by taxpayers amounting to £108,401 between them.

Council leader Cllr Pete Marland said the authority was continuing to focus on the issue.

He said: In the last six months we’ve removed three senior posts, and we’ve reduced management costs by around £300,000 this year.

“There’s a balance to be struck between paying people an appropriate amount to run a council that delivers more than 200 services, while still ensuring value for money for taxpayers.”

Another big salary not included in this total was the £116,674 paid to the director of public health for the East of England. This salary is paid jointly by Milton Keynes Council, Bedford

Borough Council, and Central Bedfordshire Council, and covers all three areas.

In 2016-17 Milton Keynes Council had five senior staff paid £100,000-plus a year, earning a combined £728,646 including pension contributions.

By last year that had gone up to six staff earning a combined £844,511. Their pension contributions alone were worth £108,401.

However Carole Mills did not have a pay rise over the two-year period.

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