Bucks Council chief executive to remain on £240,000 this year – more than Prime Minister Keir Starmer

The lowest Buckinghamshire Council salaries have risen by 10 per cent in a year while the chief executive stays on £240,000.

The unitary authority’s smallest salary for 2024/25 is now £22,071, compared to the previous 12 months when it was £20,104.

Its highest paid employee remains Rachael Shimmin, the chief executive who will take home £240,000 this year – more than the prime minister Keir Starmer.

Her salary was confirmed in a new pay policy statement for this year, which was approved by councillors during Wednesday’s council meeting.

The document sets out the council’s policies for paying its ‘corporate service workforce’, although this excludes school employees.

A section of the statement reads: “The council’s corporate service pay is determined locally. Grades are determined by recognising what people do – their jobs and responsibilities – and paying them accordingly using Hay job evaluation.

“Job evaluation is a consistent process used for determining the relative worth of jobs. Whilst the process is not a science, it is based on the systematic analysis of the different factors found within all jobs.”

The council says its senior leadership team of chief officers and directors are entitled to ‘a discretionary additional annual non-consolidated performance payment’ if they ‘exceed’ expectations for their role.

Pay for each role is set individually based on the size of the job, data for market and sector rates and the ‘quality of the applicant’ and the ‘scarcity of the required skills’.