Mixed reaction as Devon chief’s pay in top two per cent of nearly 4,000 senior council workers

Local politicians have given a mixed reaction to news that Devon County Council’s chief executive is one of the highest paid local government officials in the country.

Figures from the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA), a right-wing pressure group, show Donna Manson is ranked 45^th out of more than 3,900 council workers in the UK based on her salary of £207,000 from the 2023/24 financial year.

That puts her in the top two per cent nationally.

Once bonuses and pension contributions are taken into account, though, Ms Manson falls to 56^th, with her total remuneration being nearly £247,000.

TPA claim a “record” 3,906 officials earned more than £100,000 and 1,092 had  received over £150,000 for the 2023/24 financial year.

Some local politicians believe pay reflects the challenges of the job, noting that Ms Manson receives a competitive salary.

But some of those campaigning to become councillors for the first time are more angry.

Edward Hill, chairman of Reform UK Exeter and who is running for the first time in this May’s elections, expressed frustration.

“While Devon residents face rising council tax bills, crumbling roads and cuts to essential services, Devon County Council’s chief executive is pocketing more than £200,000, which is more than the prime minister,” he said.

“We would never accept obscene salaries like this, regardless of how good we think we are.”

Cllr Phil Twiss (Conservative, Feniton), cabinet member for finance at Devon County Council, said Ms Manson is a “highly competent and effective chief executive”.

“She is well respected by councillors, her peers and members of other organisations and is paid a market competitive salary for doing a difficult and very demanding job in the most challenging times local government has ever experienced,” he said.

Cllr Caroline Leaver (Liberal Democrcat, Barnstaple South) said the real story is about the council’s finances and “not the pay of an individual senior officer”.

“The Conservative council has run through savings, borrowed from within the council to make the books balance, and have allowed highways to underspend so the roads are in a worst state than they’ve ever been,” she said.

“The chief executive’s pay is decided by a cross-party committee, which is supported by an independent panel of experts.”

She added there is “always a balance to be struck” between keeping costs down and paying the going rate, and that there are “many, many fantastic staff” who provide the “best services to the people of Devon in pretty difficult times.”

Ms Manson joined the council two years ago and has focused on seeking improvements in children’s social services and gettin to grips with a rising deficit in special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

The council secured £95 million from government to help balance the Send finances, something in which Ms Manson was heavily involved.

Other Devon County Council staff also appear highly in the pay rankings, with Tandra Forster, director of integrated adult social care, receiving £179,888, and in 537^th place, based on total remuneration.

Devon County Council’s director of finance and public value, Angie Sinclair, is in the top third with total pay of £145,758.

Andy Bates, who runs both South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council, is ranked 825^th on £161,500.

In 2023, the median pay of chief executives of the UK’s largest 100 companies was £4.2 million, according to the High Pay Centre think tank, showing the private sector pays senior staff vastly more than council chiefs.

A Devon County Council spokesperson said: “All chief officers are employed under Joint Negotiating Committee for Chief Executive or Chief Officer (JNC) terms and conditions. Their pay and conditions in commensurate with that of their peers and related to the scale of their responsibilities.”