'This council wastes money'

TORIES HIT OUT AFTER EMPLOYEE SALARIES REVEALED

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT Local democracy reporter

THE Conservatives have accused a Labour-run council of “wasting money like there’s no tomorrow” by paying 15 people more than £100,000-a-year each.

The Conservative group, the largest on Stockton Council but not in power in an authority led by Labour supported by independents, reacted to the latest figures on salaries paid to top officers.

Accounts for 2024-25 reveal the council had 230 employees earning more than £50,000 a year, compared to 187 the previous year, with 15 people on six-figure salaries, including six directors each earning more than £130,000 a year.

The total comes to 16 including the new director of regeneration and inclusive growth, who started in September 2024 and was paid £72,763 for seven months’ work.

Six directors earned between £149,500 and £200,000 each in 2024-25 including pension contributions, more than £1m between them. The council has said the £50,000 threshold for publishing earnings has not moved in over a decade, so more people crossed it each year due to inflation without a real-terms pay rise.