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There has been a large increase in the number of Brighton and Hove City Council employees paid more than £100,000 a year. Data from the TaxPayers' Alliance Town Hall Rich List 2025 shows that 26 employees earned this amount in the financial year 2023-24, up from 15 the previous year . This is a rise of more than 70 per cent.
Council leader Bella Sankey explained this was largely due to a national pay award which pushed many senior officers' salaries above £100,000 for the first time. The highest-paid council employee was Rob Persey, the former executive director for health and adult social care, who left the council in 2024 after seven years in the role. Mr Persey received a total of £456,821, making him the third highest-paid local authority employee in the entire country.
Of this amount, £307,392 was compensation for loss of employment, the second highest amount of compensation paid for loss of employment in the entire Town Hall Rich List 2025. The rest of the £456,821 total came from £24,273 in pension contributions alongside a baseline salary of £125,156. Rachel Sharpe, former executive director for housing, neighbourhoods, and communities, was the second highest-paid employee.
She also received a pay-out after leaving the council following four years in her role. Her total remuneration of £289,541 included £127,660 in compensation for loss of employment, alongside a salary of £136,397 and pension contributions of £25,483. READ NEXT: Plans for glamping site rejected after officers denied site visit The highest remuneration package not to include redundancy compensation was the £174,886 paid to former interim chief executive Will Tuckley, who left his role in March 2024 for permanent replacement Jess Gibbons.
His remuneration was comprised of a £147,314 baseline salary and £27,572 in pension contributions. By comparison, the prime minister had a salary entitlement of £172,153 for the most recent financial year. READ NEXT: Residential block with sea views could be demolished and replaced with new flats Councillor Bella Sankey, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “The main reason for the increase in numbers of staff earning more than £100,000 per year in the 2023-24 financial year, which this report is based on, was the national pay award for senior officers.
“This came into effect throughout the country in April 2023 and increased pay for assistant directors to above £100,000 for the first time. “This nationwide pay award increased pay for these roles from £97,889 to £101,315. It was not a case of the council appointing more people on this level of salary.
“In terms of the remuneration described as compensation for loss of office for senior staff, this is the additional costs involved in a restructure of our senior management roles, which replaced two executive director roles with one new post. As well as improving our services, this will also save the council money in the longer-term. “As a council we will always be mindful of providing on-going value for money for residents, while wanting to attract the very best people to work for this city, who can deliver our vision of a better Brighton and Hove for all.
” The council announced at the end of 2024 that it was restructuring its leadership, with a "new, more streamlined and strategic structure" coming into place from January 2025 to "reduce senior management costs"..
