Shropshire Council defends £176,000 salary for new chief exec
Shropshire Council has moved to justify the huge salary for its new chief executive – saying it's the market rate for such an important role.
The unitary authority is formally advertising for the role – a position that has remained vacant for six months – with the annual salary being £176,803, plus returning officer fees.
According to the Taxpayers Alliance, the previous chief executive, Andy Begley, earned £167,143 a year when it published its annual Town Hall Rich List last April. However, he also had a pension of £28,748 – bringing the total amount to £195,891.
Shropshire Council says that figure was correct as of 2023, before the pay award for chief officers was agreed in December 2024. That took it to £171,321, backdated to April 1, 2024.
A subsequent pay award was agreed last December, which has now taken the salary to £176,803, backdated to April 1, 2025.
The council says that benchmarking with other local authorities has been undertaken, with the salary being comparable with what others are paying.
Since Mr Begley’s departure, Tanya Miles has held the role on an interim basis. The council says it was always the intention for it to be for six months, with a permanent chief executive being advertised once the council budget had been approved.
In neighbouring Herefordshire, the council has struggled to recruit for a new chief executive, with the salary there reportedly being the third lowest among England’s smaller counties, as of 2024/25.
Therefore, Shropshire Council says it wants to avoid facing similar problems, with the salary advertised being around the market rate for a council chief executive.
“This is a rare and exciting chance to guide the council through an ambitious programme of transformation,” said a spokesperson.
“The council has a huge number of challenges and opportunities over the coming years, not least in spending our budget of over £900 million per year in a way which delivers real value for taxpayers.
“The council is clear about its ambition to become a stable, modernised and pioneering rural council, acting as an enabling force within the community and local economy. The next chief executive will play a crucial role in shaping that future – bringing clarity, compassion and strong leadership to complex change.”
