Taxpayers can expect to foot the bill for another wage increase for council chief executives, after the Association of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (ALACE) has welcomed the offer for local government Chief Executives in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to receive substantial pay rises in the next financial year.

After Monmouthshire Council recently passed a near £10,000 pay rise for Chief Executive Paul Matthews earlier in the year, the union that represents council executives welcomed a further 3.2 per cent pay rise subject to union agreement.

Monmouthshire Council did not approach to our approach for clarity on whether the 3.2 per cent raise would be factored into the £10,000 pay rise approved by the body, or whether the two figures would be in addition to each other.

The original decision, backed by a majority of Monmouthshire County Councillors will see Mr Matthews receive a pay rise of £9,792 over the next two years, taking his salary to £141,000 in the 2026/27 financial year. With a 3.2 per cent pay rise potentially imminent, his salary would reach around £145,512.

In comparison, Prime Minister Kier Starmer’s taxable income last year was £152,225, only £6,713 more than the local Chief Executive.

Laura Anne Jones MS previously raised concerns about the inflated salaries of council Chief Executives across Wales, Stating how it is shocking that Welsh Chief Executives can be earning similar or if not more than the First Minister or UK Prime Minister at the taxpayers’ expense.

Condemning this inequality, Ms Jones asserts that it is unjustifiable when there are such stark differences “between the huge wages of council bosses and the average take home pay for people living in these areas.”

She warns that more taxpayer money risks being diverted from local needs, showcasing further financial mismanagement.