Back
Over 9,000 in public sector paid more than PM
20 September 2010
More than 9,000 public sector employees are earning a higher wage than the prime minister, as momentum grows behind radical cuts to pay and benefits in this area. New research conducted for BBC Panorama found over 38,000 public employees earning above £100,000 and 1,000 people on more than £200,000. Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron took a 5% pay cut when he took office and earns £142,500. The government has already revealed that pay for the top 5% of earners in the public sector has risen by 51% in the past 10 years. In collaboration with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Panorama requested pay details from most of the UK's publicly funded organisations, including local authorities, schools, universities, the BBC, the NHS and the government quangos. Across the UK, the NHS has the highest number of high earners, with more than 26,000 people on more than £100,000. Of those, nearly 6,500 earn more than Mr Cameron. The top NHS earner is a GP on at least £475,000 and seven out of the top 10 in the NHS are GPs. The BBC's salaries were included because the BBC is funded by the £145.50 licence fee paid by UK households. There are 331 managers at the BBC earning more than £100,000. For more details on the research watch: Panorama: Because We're Worth It - The Taxpayers' Rich List, BBC One, Monday, 20 September at 8.30pm and then available on BBC iPlayer. Published by IFAOnline
