A former Staffordshire Moorlands District Council chief executive's expenses claim of over £38,000 was the highest of any local authority officer in the UK, a report has revealed.

Simon Baker, a former chief executive at both the Moorlands council and High Peak Borough Council, claimed a total of £38,043 in expenses in 2019/20.

That expenses claim is the highest in the UK, according to the latest edition of the Town Hall Rich List published by the Tax Payers' Alliance earlier this month.

Nub News reported previously how the district council appointed a new chief executive in September after the position lay vacant for six months.

The previous Chief Executive, Simon Baker, retired in a shock departure in March after being with the Moorlands council for 22 years.

The retirement came just three days after Assistant Chief Executive Mary Walker resigned, and it remains unclear why the pair left their posts. Andrew Stokes was appointed as the new chief executive.

The expenses claim of over £38,000 came in addition to Mr Baker's annual salary of £153,975 and pension payments of £25,854, meaning his total remuneration for the year was £217,872.

In response, the district council pointed out that Mr Baker's expenses claims included election payments for both the district council and High Peak Borough Council.

They added that the two councils sharing resources under their current alliance had saved tax payers over £8 million.

The latest edition of the town hall rich list included a number of key findings.

It stated that at least 2,802 people employed by local authorities in 2019-20 received more than £100,000 in total remuneration, an increase of 135 on 2018-19. 693 received over £150,000, 26 more than the previous year.

The average number of employees who received over £100,000 in total remuneration per local authority is seven. The average number receiving over £150,000 is 1.7 employees per council.

Total expenses paid to senior employees in the UK amounted to £1,274,497. Only two employees claimed expenses of over £20,000 - with one of these being Simon Baker, and the other being Dr Helen Paterson at Walsall Council, who claimed £31,526.

If you would like to view the report in full, click here.

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