Former Ealing Council Chief Executive, Paul Najsarek, was the fifth highest paid council employee in the United Kingdom, according to the TaxPayers' Alliance's Town Hall Rich List 2023. 

According to the accounts released by councils for 2021/22, Najsarek, who left in December 2021, earned £325,047 across the financial year, of which £94,859 was a compensation pay-out for loss of office, the 9th highest amount paid for this reason. 

Najsarek was the highest paid council employee in London across the financial year and earned more than Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who earns a base salary of £164,951. 

In a statement on their website, the TaxPayers' Alliance said of these high salaries: "Virtually every council in the country is raising council tax (with a few notable exceptions like Harlow), often by the maximum of 4.99 per cent. 

"When we are travelling around the country talking to residents about council tax, this is often the first thing that comes up: why are the bosses paid so much when my bills are always going up?" 

This is the 16th year of the Town Hall Rich List from the TaxPayers' Alliance in which they collate the accounts of each council to reveal a comprehensive list of those employees earning over £100,000 because councils are required to report all employees earning over £50,000. 

This year 11.8% of all local authorities failed to provide financial information for this year. 

To read the full report you can go here.