THIS is what the top-earning executives and directors at your local Merseyside council took home last year.

Figures revealed by the Tax Payers’ Alliance (TPA) Town Hall Rich List show a total of 57 employees across the region had remuneration packages of over £100,000 in 2016/17.

Although more than one of the region’s local authorities have questioned the TPA’s figures, they show the top earner across Merseyside as the now-former Liverpool City Council chief executive Ged Fitzgerald.

His remuneration package was an eye-watering £238,708.

Both Liverpool and Halton councils had a total of 12 employees who made more than £100,000 on their books - the joint highest, while Knowsley and Wirral’s chief executives made £202,000 and £192,000 respectively.

The TPA said Knowsley and Sefton had ten employees making more than £100,000, while Wirral had seven and St Helens six.

The Town Hall Rich List claims to be the 'go-to' guide for local government executive pay deals, and this year’s edition is the 11th.

It adds: “The research is a vital tool for taxpayers wanting to judge which authorities are delivering the best value for money.”

Here are the roles at the six Merseyside councils that received more than £100k in total remuneration in the 2016-17 year, with only some of the chief executives having been named.

The numbers include salary, expenses, bonuses, compensation for loss of office, employer pension contribution and other payments.

Wirral

  • Eric Robinson, Chief Executive: £192,256
  • Managing Director for Delivery: £137,723
  • Executive Director for Strategy: £137,644
  • Director for Health and Care: £128,201
  • Director for Children: £127,497
  • Director for Business Services (Assistant Chief Executive): £121,653
  • Director for Health and Wellbeing: £105,082

Halton

  • David Parr, Chief Executive: £173,700
  • Strategic Director – Enterprise, Communities and Resource: £145,900
  • Unknown role: £117,500
  • Operational Director – Prevention and Assessment: £114,800
  • Operational Director – ICT and Support Services: £112,900
  • Children and Families Services: £111,200
  • Operational Director – Legal and Democratic Services: £105,700
  • Operational Director – Policy, Planning and Transportation: £104,700
  • Operational Director: Economy, Enterprise and Property: £104,400
  • Operational Director – Children’s Organisation and Provision: £102,400
  • Operational Director – Public Health: £100,300
  • Operational Director – Community and Environment: £100,100

Knowsley

  • Mike Harden, Chief Executive: £202,808
  • Unknown role: £162,500
  • Executive Director (Children): £141,966
  • Executive Director (Place): £133,514
  • Assistant Chief Executive: £129,290
  • Executive Director (Resources): £129,290
  • Unknown role: £112,500
  • Unknown role: £107,500
  • Unknown role: £102,500
  • Unknown role: £102,500

Liverpool

  • Ged Fitzgerald (now former) Chief Executive: £238,708
  • Director of Regeneration and Employment: £169,420
  • Director of Finance and Resources: £167,931
  • Director of Adult Services and Health: £163,768
  • Director of Community Services: £163,148
  • Director of Children’s and Young People’s Services: £154,894
  • Unknown role: £132,500
  • Director of Public Health (Interim): £120,631
  • Unknown role: £107,500
  • City Solicitor: £105,328
  • Unknown role: £102,500
  • Unknown role: £102,500

Sefton

  • Chief Executive: £171,610
  • Director of Social Care and Health: £150,080
  • Executive Director: £137,582
  • Executive Director: £137,502
  • Head of Locality Services – Commissioned: £104,943
  • Head of Adult Social Care: £102,245
  • Head of Locality Services – Provision: £100,472
  • Head of Children’s Social Care: £100,451
  • Head of Regulations and Compliance: £100,438
  • Head of Corporate Resources: £100,407

St. Helens

  • Mike Palin, Chief Executive: £160,000
  • Strategic Director of People’s Services: £136,000
  • Deputy Chief Executive and Strategic Director of Corporate Services: £131,000
  • Strategic Director of Environmental and Trading Services: £128,000
  • Unknown role: £112,500
  • Unknown role: £112,500

What were the councils’ responses?

Responding to the figures, a spokesman for Knowsley council said: “Once again, the TPA has got its information completely wrong.

“As in previous years, the figures it uses in this report are totally inaccurate and a number of the jobs which they have listed for Knowsley simply do not exist. We will therefore not be making any further comment.”

When the council was asked for the correct figures, it said it would not be issuing them, but said its budget information was on its statement of accounts for 2016/17.

Under the heading of “senior officer remuneration” on that document, it showed a total of 16 executives with packages of over £100,000 – six more than were listed by the TPA.

There are differences in the statistics, with none of the figures from the TPA’s unknown roles listed.

Instead, there are roles such as an Assistant Executive Director (Neighbourhoods) who made £122,826 and an Assistant Executive Director (Customer and Employees) with a figure of £119,594.

A spokesman for St Helens council said: “Due to the many significant responsibilities senior officers bear, it is appropriate to offer a competitive salary.”

He added that since the figures had been published in April, the two roles listed as “unknown” and with packages of £112,500 no longer exist.

Halton, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral councils were all also contacted for comment.