An Essex council chief has been named as one of the highest paid employees of a local authority in the country.

Gavin Jones, CEO at Essex County Council, reportedly earns £254,453 a year, according to the TaxPayers' Alliance Town Hall Rich List 2023, making him the 16th highest paid remunerated council employee in the UK.

In a statement, a Council spokesperson said an appropriate level of salary needs to be offered in order to attract high calibre professionals to the council, describing Mr Jones as "an excellent leader".

According to the rich list, which includes the top 20 highest paid council employees between 2021-2022, at least 2,759 people working of UK local authorities received salaries of over £100,000 a year during the period.

Topping the list is Guildford Borough Council's managing director, unnamed in the report, who reportedly earns £607,633. This is followed by Sunderland City Council's unnamed executive director of neighbourhoods at £573,550 and Robert Steenson, North Lanarkshire Council's executive director (enterprise and communities), at £536,530.

The 20th highest paid remunerated council employee is Kim Smith, Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council's CEO, who is paid £247,850 according to the list.

The TaxPayers' Alliance describes the document as "the most comprehensive list of council employees in the UK in receipt of over £100,000 a year in total remuneration in a single financial year." This is the 16th version of this report, it says.

An Essex County Council spokesperson said in a statement: "Essex County Council is one of the largest local authorities in England and the largest in the East of England. Over the past ten years, we've continually improved the services people rely on, while at the same time keeping council tax in check.

"We need professionals of the highest calibre if we are going to continue in the way we have been. We have demonstrated a strong commitment to achieving the best value for money for residents.

"If we are to attract the best people in the country to help us deal with the challenges faced by public services we need to offer an appropriate level of salary and remain competitive in a marketplace where we compete with the private sector for the best talent.

"Gavin Jones, Chief Executive of ECC, has proved an excellent leader and he has taken on extra responsibility sharing best practice with other authorities in England.

"All our salaries are subject to regular independent review and measured against the public and not for profit sector."

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