Figures reveal hundreds of council fat cats earning more than PM - while you pay more tax

Figures have revealed the hundreds of council officials who are earning more than the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, while you pay more tax. 350 people are thought to earn more than the current occupant of No. 10, while 1,500 with roles in public bodies receive more than £100,000, the MailOnline reports. Prime Ministers in the UK reportedly receive £91,346 for being an MP and £80,807 for being the Premier. But only £75,440 is claimed, according to 2024 figures. It comes as Labour promises to slim down the country's civil service and make it more cost effective.

Earlier this month, for example, it was announced that the Cabinet Office will lose almost a third of its staff. Meanwhile, UK taxpayers are being forced to fork out more cash. The County Councils Network says that most councils in England are expected to hike Council Tax bills by the maximum amount allowed, which is 4.99% for those with responsibility for social care.

All but three of London's local authorities are rising theirs by this amount. Any higher would trigger a referendum at local level.

Smaller councils, those that do not oversee social care, are allowed to put their tax up by 2.99%.

However, for 2025-26, the government is letting six authorities to roll out bigger rises.

Bradford Council increased bills by 10%, and they are going up by 9% in Newham and Windsor and Maidenhead.

Elsewhere, Birmingham, Somerset and Trafford have put theirs up by 7.5%.

The Resolution Foundation think tank said at the beginning of this month that households face a “triple hit” from the impacts of tax, utility bill increases and benefits that are not keeping pace with the cost of living.

It added that long-running freezes to personal tax thresholds will mean some people are dragged into paying more tax, while employer National Insurance (NI) hikes will feed through to households through slower wage growth as employers recoup costs.

In addition, rising utility bills and council tax will put further pressure on household budgets, a report said.