A TOTAL of five Basingstoke and Dean Borough Council (BDBC) employees took home £100,000 or more last year, it has been revealed.

The figures, published in the TaxPayers’ Alliance’s 14th Town Hall Rich List, analysed data from councils across the country.

The council has defended the high salaries of the five employees, stating they are set at ‘an appropriate market level’ to attract the people with the right skills.

Basingstoke Council’s chief executive, Mel Barrett, who has since been replaced by Russell O’Keefe,  brought home the highest pay packet with a salary of £149,028 and a pension of £23,260.

Also appearing on the list is the executive director of finance and resources, Sue Cuerden, who last year earned £104,406 in salary and had £16,071 added into her pension pot.

Kate Dean, the project director overseeing the major redevelopment of Basing View and Commercial, earned the third highest wage at the council with a salary of £99,478 and a pension of £15,390.

Around 4,500 people currently work at Basing View and it is envisaged that the regeneration project has the potential to double the number over the next 15 years.

Basing View is currently home to more than 180 businesses and a number of new Grade A offices are planned or under development to meet current and future demand in the Thames Valley and M3 corridor.

The executive director of borough services, Rebecca Emmett, also made the list with a salary of £99,230 and a pension of £14,350.

Andrew Reynolds who is the project director for Manydown, was the last council employee to feature on the list, earning £97,749 in salary and a pension of £15,149.    

The Taxpayers’ Alliance provides the council-by-council breakdown each year, alongside its call for local authorities to stop council tax rises and cut down on wasteful spending.       

A council spokesperson told the Gazette: “We operate with transparency regarding the pay of our senior employees and their salary details are published on our website as part of our statement of accounts.

“Salaries are set at an appropriate market level, in line with our council approved pay policy, to attract the people with the right skills and experience.

“These figures should be put into the context of the council’s ambitious vision to grow and develop the borough and to deliver a range of aspirational and complex projects for the benefit of our residents, while also delivering high quality services to our residents.”