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13
Apr
Rich List reveals big increase in North Yorkshire Council high earners
A total of 30 staff at North Yorkshire Council received six-figure salaries in 2024/25 — an increase on the previous year.
The latest Town Hall Rich List, which was published today by low-tax pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, reveals which local authority officials were paid more than £100,000 in the last financial year.
According to the research, the number of council employees in North Yorkshire who received more than six-figure salaries increased from 23 in 2023/24 to 30 last year.
North Yorkshire Council’s highest earner was chief executive Richard Flinton, who was paid £211,044. His pension was worth £26,233, bringing his total remuneration package to £237,277.
He was one of 320 council employees nationally to be paid more than the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Gary Fielding, corporate director for resources, and Karl Battersby, corporate director for environmental services, were the next best paid in North Yorkshire, each receiving salaries of £159,178 and total remuneration of £178,964.
(Top left, clockwise) Gary Fielding, Richard Webb, Stuart Carlton, Karl Battersby and Nic Harne.
Three other directors including Richard Webb, corporate director of health and adult services, Stuart Carlton, corporate director for children and young peoples’ service and Nic Harne, corporate director of community development, also received salaries of £159,178.
Mr Webb and Mr Carlton have since left the authority.
The North Yorkshire list also includes three assistant chief executives, the director of public health and 20 other undisclosed positions.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:
Taxpayers are caught in a pincer movement with a record-breaking tax burden on one side and a bloated public sector feathering its nest on the other.
Our latest Town Hall Rich List exposes a surging class of council bosses enjoying six-figure packages, even as they plead poverty, slash frontline services, and hike council tax bills far beyond inflation.
Residents can see exactly how many local bureaucrats are receiving plush packages and judge for themselves whether they're getting value for money.
The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Council for comment.
Combined authority salaries
The figures come as the Stray Ferret revealed the salaries of senior officers at York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority last month.
The combined authority is chaired by David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, who receives a salary of £81,300. His deputy, Jo Coles, is paid £68,670.
James Farrar, chief executive of the combined authority, and Jonathan Dyson, chief fire officer.
However, the combined authority is operated by a team of directors and senior managers who are less well known to the public.
The Stray Ferret has detailed the salary ranges below.
Jonathan Dyson, the chief fire officer at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, is paid between £143,635 and £152,804 — the highest salary range in the document.
The other salaries in the combined authority’s senior management team include:
- James Farrar, chief executive - £128,565
- Rachel Antonelli, director of legal and governance - £103,292 - £114,280
- Mike Russell, director of resources - £103,292 - £114,280
- Garry Mackay, deputy chief fire officer - £122,090 - £129,883
You can read the full breakdown in our article here.
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