West Sussex County Council responds to Town Hall Rich List 2012

A spokesman said: “The county council is driving down senior management costs and has already made significant savings.

“Six of the officers mentioned in the Taxpayers’ Alliance report left during the course of 2010.

“The figures being quoted for officers are for total remuneration including employer’s pension contributions and in some cases compensation payments for loss of employment.

“If the Alliance looked purely at salary, the number of employees earning in excess of £100,000 for 2010/11 would have been 11.

“It should also be noted that compensation from loss of office is a cost associated with reducing the numbers of senior officers – thus a short term cost leading to longer term savings for the local taxpayer.

“The Hutton review entitled Fair Pay in the Public Sector published in 2011 stated: ‘High quality public services require high calibre leaders to deliver them, especially in difficult fiscal times. If senior public servants are inadequately rewarded, it will be even more difficult to attract and retain individuals of the calibre required’.”