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15
Sept
Retiring North Yorkshire Council chief executive gets pay package of almost £245,000
North Yorkshire Council’s retiring chief executive received a total pay package worth almost £245,000 during the last financial year, new figures show.
Richard Flinton received £217,798 in salary, fees and allowances in 2025/26, together with £26,777 in employer pension contributions, taking his total remuneration to £244,575.
The figure was up from £237,277 the previous year, when his salary and allowances totalled £211,044.
Mr Flinton is due to retire next March after a 40-year career in local government.
The council’s corporate directors were also paid packages worth more than £180,000.
Karl Battersby, corporate director for environment at North Yorkshire Council.
Environmental services director Karl Battersby and community development director Nic Harne each received £164,272 in salary and allowances, with pension contributions taking their total remuneration to £184,468.
Former resources director Gary Fielding received a total package of £184,149, while health and adult services director Richard Webb received £183,496.
Other senior officers included the assistant chief executive for legal and democratic services, whose remuneration totalled £147,278, and the assistant chief executive for local engagement, who received £141,911.
The director of public health received £134,499, while the assistant chief executive responsible for business support and human resources received £132,178.
There were several changes at the top of the council’s children and young people’s service during the year.
Former corporate director Stuart Carlton, who left the authority in October 2025, received £107,221 during the year.
The accounts also reveal a sharp increase in the number of council employees receiving more than £50,000 a year in remuneration.
In 2025/26, 1,287 employees received more than £50,000, compared with 957 the previous year — an increase of 330, or around 34%
The figures include teachers employed directly by school governing bodies as well as senior officers.
The largest rises were in the lower pay bands. The number receiving between £50,000 and £54,999 increased from 401 to 548, while those receiving £55,000 to £59,999 rose from 158 to 263. The number receiving between £60,000 and £64,999 increased from 103 to 142.
The increase came despite the council’s overall workforce falling slightly. North Yorkshire Council employed 12,077 full-time-equivalent staff at the end of 2025/26, down from 12,203 a year earlier.
The figures are contained in North Yorkshire Council’s statement of final accounts for 2025/26, which is due to be considered by the authority’s audit committee.
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