FIVE Inverclyde Council officials took home remuneration packages of £100,000 or above last year.

Data disclosed in the annual UK ‘town hall rich list’, which is published by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, shows that council chief executive Louise Long was the local authority’s highest-paid official in 2021/22 with a total pay and pension packet worth more than £147,000.

Ms Long, who was the chief officer at the council’s health and social care partnership before her appointment as chief executive in September 2021, received a salary of £123,000 and pension contributions of £24,000.

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The council’s director of education, communities and organisational development Ruth Binks received a wage of £116,000, with a pension contribution of £23,000.

Alan Puckrin, who is the Municipal Buildings boss responsible for finance and corporate government, was on a £106,000 package, while director of environment and economic recovery Stuart Jamieson was paid £103,000.

Both officials’ pay packets included £20,000 worth of pensions contributions.

The fifth official who received a six-figure remuneration package was the council’s interim head of legal services Anne Sinclair, who was on a basic salary of £90,000 plus  £17,000 towards her pension.

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An Inverclyde Council spokesperson said that its top officials’ salaries reflected the responsibilities associated with their roles.

They said: “Salary information is negotiated at a national level and is published each year on our website for all to see so it should come as no surprise to the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

“Remuneration is at a level deemed appropriate for the duties and responsibilities.

“In the case of the senior management team – a team which has reduced significantly in number over the years – their pay reflects the responsibilities associated with running an organisation which is the biggest employer in Inverclyde with around 4,000 members of staff, a revenue budget of £227 million for this financial year, and capital spending of £68m over the next three years.

“They oversee the delivery of a range of services so wide and varied that few multi-national companies could match.

“The work of the council directly impacts every one of Inverclyde’s 78,000 citizens – from pavements, roads and street lights, to schools, health and social care, and waste and recycling.

“We recognise the impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on our residents and have provided as much support as possible within the financial resources we have available.

“That support includes the council’s own one-off £350 cost of living grant to some 10,000 low income households last year on top of the Scottish grant and in addition to council tax exemptions, discounts and a range of other supports we provide.”