GUILDFORD Borough Council heads the latest Town Hall Rich List for UK council employees, compiled by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

A termination payment of £154,240 and £339,158 pension contribution helped make up a package of £607,633 paid out to the council's managing director for the financial year 2021-22. According to the TaxPayer’s Alliance, of the total, £107,195 was salary.

TaxPayers’  Alliance, founded in 2004, aims are, according to its website, to “campaign to reform taxes and public services, cut waste and speak up for British taxpayers”.

Although Woking Borough Council has no employees close to Guildford’s figure, it does have six officers on pay grades with six-figures salaries, or with the potential to reach that level.

The highest paid is chief executive Julie Fisher, whose responsibilities are, according to the council’s website, as “head of paid service, principal advisor to the council, overseas (sic) the running of the council and elections returning officer”.

Ms Fisher is in the salary band £126,414 to £147,289 for her 37-hour week, and is also eligible for further benefits and contributions, in common with most of her more highly remunerated colleagues.

Kevin Foster, the strategic director of corporate resources with a lengthy list of responsibilities including “finance, customer services, revenues and benefits, digital and IT, and marketing communications” is in the salary band £106,694 to £126,412.

That same band embraces Giorgio Framalicco, strategic director – place, who has “property services, planning, environmental health, economic growth, green infrastructure and parking” among his remit, and Louise Strongitharm, strategic director – communities, with “housing, health and wellbeing, families and communities and community safety” as her responsibilities.

There are two further positions, unnamed, with the potential to reach six figures: director of finance (section 151 officer)  and director of legal and democratic services (monitoring officer) inhabit the £88,610 to £106,693 salary band,

All the figures quoted, and others further down the council’s pay scale to a lower limit of £50,000, are available at www.woking.gov.uk under senior council officer salaries.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance report also noted that Woking was among 47 local authorities, out of 398, which had failed to file their annual statement of accounts for 2021-22 by this month.

A council spokesperson said: “Due to a delay in the auditing process we have been unable to publish our annual accounts.

“We are currently in the process of finalising them ahead of their publication.”