Council chief’s £140,000 salary near parity with PM Sunak

THE chief executive of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) is pocketing nearly as much pay as the British Prime Minister.

It was revealed by the Taxpayers’ Alliance that Alison McCullagh earns £148,393 per year, just £19,000 less than that of Rishi Sunak who reportedly earned £167,391 in 2023.

The salary is also approximately £20,000 higher than the entitled wage of First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly, who reportedly are both able to earn an annual wage of £123,500.

Three other staff members of FODC were also named on the list of top local government earners, all making annual salaries close to £90,000 per year.

The director of regeneration and planning, Kim McLaughlin, was listed as earning £92,586. The director of community and wellbeing, John Boyle, earns £91,028 and the director of environment and place, John News, earns £89,464.

The figures from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, which calls itself ‘Britain’s independent grassroots campaign for lower taxes’, include salary, pension contributions, benefits, expenses, and bonuses.

Staff costs are estimated to account for around 40 per-cent of the total expenditure across the North’s 11 councils.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the Tax Payers’ Alliance, said, “The new financial year has seen council tax soar across the country, and taxpayers will notice that top brass pay has simultaneously surged.

“Local authorities provide crucial services, and residents will want to make sure they are getting bang for their buck with their ever-increasing bills.

“Residents can use these figures to ask whether precious funds are really going towards frontline services or whether town hall bosses can get better value for money.”

The highest-earning local government worker in the North was Anne Donaghy, former chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Council, who reportedly took home an annual salary of £188,213 before resigning due to ill health.

Commenting on the figures, an FODC spokesperson said, “Pay for all council employees including the chief executive and directors is set and agreed nationally and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council implements the nationally agreed pay and terms and conditions for all staff.

“The salary for employees reflects the duties and responsibilities of their role and in the case of senior officers this is inclusive of all hours of work required to fulfil these requirements.

“The council publishes its annual statement of accounts each year on the council website which includes a remuneration report outlining the remuneration of all senior employees of the council.”