EVER wondered how much the top officers at Somerset West and Taunton Council are paid?

According to a report submitted to the authority's full council meeting next Tuesday (March 30), the chief executive earns around six times the lowest paid member of staff.

The highest earner is chief executive James Hassett, who is on a salary of £102,526.

On top of that, the council pays his professional subscriptions and makes employer contributions to his Local Government Pension Scheme.

Mr Hassett as the local returning officer is also eligible to claim payments during elections, helping boost his earnings.

His salary contrasts with the lowest earners, who are on £10.23 an hour, which equates to just under £20,000 a year.

A further three directors at SWT are each paid £102,750 a year for heading up external operations and climate change, internal operations and housing respectively.

Ten assistant directors are on salaries of £66,788 each, with the director of finance picking up a further £5,345 for extra administrative duties.

A report to the council meeting says: "The Pay Policy Statement is intended to bring together sufficient information about the different elements of the local authority’s pay policies to enable local taxpayers to

reach an informed view about local decisions on all aspects of pay and reward for employees."

It adds: "Somerset West & Taunton Council is committed to ensuring transparent, fair and equitable pay and reward arrangements that provide value for money and enable the recruitment and retention of employees with the skills and motivation to deliver high quality services for the council and its communities."

The pay figures relate to the year to the end of this month, but there is not expected to be a pay increase for local government workers in the coming financial year.