Newark and Sherwood District Council’s chief executive highest paid among peers in county, Taxpayers’ Alliance Town Hall Rich List reveals

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s chief executive is the highest-paid in the county, an annual Rich List has revealed.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance has released its Town Hall Rich List, which details council officers who receive more than £100,000 in remuneration — including their salary, expenses, bonuses, and pensions — across the country in 2023-24.

With a salary of £136,745, chief executive John Robinson earned more than his peers at Nottinghamshire district and borough councils — one by more than £10,000.

He was also the top paid in the 2022 Rich List.

Gedling Borough Council’s chief executive had a £134,398 salary, Mansfield £129,000, Bassetlaw £128,853, Rushcliffe £128,668, Ashfield £126,854, with Broxtowe’s boss the lowest paid of the seven with a £123,147 salary.

With his expenses and employer pension contributions taken into account, Mr Robinson received a total of £162,381 in remuneration in 2023-24.

He also had the highest recorded expenses or benefits in kind, at £499.

Newark and Sherwood’s deputy chief executive and director of resources was the highest paid senior officer, aside from chief executives, on any of the seven district and borough councils, and one of only two to be paid more than £100,000.

Sanjiv Kohli received a salary of £112,761, and, with expenses and employer pension contributions, a total remuneration of £133,805.

The only other deputy to receive a salary of more than £100,000 was Rushcliffe’s deputy chief executive and director of finance and corporate services, who was paid £101,330, and had a total of £120,040 remunerated.

Nottinghamshire County Council had ten officers on a salary of more than £100,000 in 2023-24.

The highest paid was the chief executive Adrian Smith, who had a £196,745 salary, and the lowest of the ten were two undisclosed posts, both with a salary of £102,500. Other roles in the ten included three corporate directors and three service directors, as well as one other undisclosed post.

Mr Smith’s total remuneration was £240,645 — with £1,600 of this expenses or benefits in kind.

The highest remunerated officer in the East Midlands was Leicestershire County Council’s chief executive John Sinott, with a total of £282,000 in the year.