20 September 2010 Last updated at 10:04

Public Sector pay: The numbers

Top earners in central government

Some government departments have several top civil servants earning more than the prime minister who is paid £142,500.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude's own department has 21 people earning more than the PM.

The Department of Communities and Local Government, headed by Eric Pickles, has nine.

Top earners in central government
(pictured)
Sir Jock Stirrup Chief of the Defence Staff Ministry of Defence 		£288,700
David Nicholson NHS Chief Executive Dept. of Health £278,800
John Fingleton Chief Executive Office of Fair Trading £277,500
Jeremy Beeton Director General Government Olympic Exec. £270,000
Andrew Stafford CEO Royal Mint £264,510
Joe Harley IT Director General Dept. Work & Pensions £262,500
Gus O'Donnell Cabinet Secretary Cabinet Office £253,500
Clare Chapman Dir. General Workforce Dept. of Health £252,500
Patrick Crawford Chief Executive Export Credits Guarantee Dept. £232,500
Stephen Laws First Parliamentary Counsel Cabinet Office £227,500

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • Ministry of Defence
    55
  • Department for Transport
    55
  • Department for Work & Pensions
    54
  • Department for Business Innovation & Skills
    50
  • Foreign & Commonwealth Office
    50
  • Ministry of Justice
    50
  • Crown Prosecution Service
    40
  • Welsh Assembly
    36
  • Cabinet Office
    29
  • Department of Health
    28

Top earners in local government

The database reveals that 362 people employed by local councils in the UK earn the same as or more than the Prime Minister.

The highest paid council chief in the UK is conservative-run Wandsworth council where the chief executive, Gerald Jones, is on £299,925.

Top earners in local government
(pictured)
Gerald Jones Chief Executive Wandsworth Borough Council 		£299,925
Peter Gilroy Chief Executive Kent County Council £243,388
Joe Duckworth Chief Executive Newham Borough Council £241,483
Joanna Killian Chief Executive Essex County Council £237,772
Derrick Anderson Chief Executive Lambeth Borough Council £235,650
Peter Lewis Dir. Young People's Servs. Haringey Borough Council £230,000
Colin Hilton Chief Executive Liverpool City Council £229,555
David White Chief Executive Norfolk County Council £224,900
Mark Hammond Chief Executive West Sussex County Council £223,451
John Foster Chief Executive Islington Borough Council £222,868

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • Wandsworth London Borough Council
    36
  • Cornwall Council
    33
  • Kent County Council
    30
  • Newcastle Upon Tyne City Council
    29
  • Westminster London Borough Council
    26
  • Greenwich London Borough Council
    24
  • Essex County Council
    23
  • Liverpool City Council
    22
  • Southwark London Borough Council
    21
  • Camden London Borough Council
    20

Top earning NHS chief executives

The NHS contains the highest number of staff earning over £100,000 in any part of the public sector, over 26,000

Nearly 6,500 NHS employees are paid more than the prime minister - 1,465 of them are GPs

Top earning NHS chief executives
(pictured)
Ron Kerr Chief Executive Guy's & St Thomas' 		£274,000
Ruth Carnall Chief Executive NHS London £265,000
Sir Robert Naylor Chief Executive University College £262,500
Sir Neil McKay Chief Executive East Of England SHA £232,500
Sir Leonard Fenwick Chief Executive Newcastle £227,500
Mark Goldman Chief Executive Heart of England Trust £242,500
Paul Bentley Acting Chief Executive Ashford & St Peter's £223,000
Dr Barbara Hakin Chief Executive East Midlands SHA £222,400
David Dalton Chief Executive Salford Royal £222,215
Dr Gareth Goodier Chief Executive Cambridge University £217,500
S Assar Interim Chief Executive Luton PCT £242,500

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
    387
  • Hampshire PCT
    349
  • University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
    349
  • Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
    290
  • South Tees Hospital NHS Trust
    267

Top earners in Primary Care Trusts

The NHS contains the highest number of staff earning over £100,000 in any part of the public sector, over 26,000.

Nearly 6,500 NHS employees are paid more than the prime minister - 1,465 of them are GPs.

There are 10 GPs earning over £300,000. Seven out of the top 10 highest earners in the NHS are GPs.

Top earners in Primary Care Trusts
No name supplied GP Hillingdon PCT £475,500
No name supplied GP Heart of Birmingham PCT £475,000
No name supplied GP Westminster PCT £406,060
No name supplied GP Heart of Birmingham PCT £375,000
No name supplied GP Hounslow £329,735
No name supplied GP Heart of Birmingham PCT £325,000
No name supplied GP Heart of Birmingham PCT £325,000
No name supplied GP Rotherham £309,636
No name supplied GP Bradford PCT £300,000
No name supplied GP Bradford PCT £300,000

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • NHS Hertfordshire PCT
    427
  • Hampshire PCT
    344
  • Northamptonshire PCT
    219
  • West Kent PCT
    179
  • NHS Cambridgeshire PCT
    172
  • Devon PCT
    171
  • NHS Derbyshire County PCT
    166
  • Leeds PCT
    161
  • Worcestershire PCT
    156
  • County Durham and Darlington PCT
    133

Top earners in schools

The review found that 385 teachers in England get paid more than £100,000 a year.

Some 17 teachers in England earn more than the PM.

Top earners in schools
No Name Supplied Title not given Essex County Council £232,500
(pictured)
Mark Elms Headteacher Tidemill School, Lewisham 		£231,400
Jacqueline Valin Headteacher Southfields Community Coll. £198,406
A Alexander Head Teacher Devon County Council £165,266
No Name Supplied Title not given Barking and Dagenham £162,500
No Name Supplied Title not given Barking and Dagenham £162,500
Sir William Atkinson Headteacher Phoenix School, London £160,640
Paul Dick Executive Headteacher Trinity and Kennet School £153,829
Jeffrey Risbridger Headteacher Saint Cecilia's £152,646
Kelvin Simmonds Headteacher Danum School, Doncaster £152,536

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • Kent County Council
    19
  • Bromley London Borough Council
    15
  • Essex County Council
    14
  • Hampshire County Council
    12
  • Tower Hamlets London Borough Council
    11
  • Brent London Borough Council
    10
  • Education Leeds
    10
  • Hertfordshire County Council
    10
  • Liverpool City Council
    9
  • London Borough of Waltham Forest
    9

Top earners in universities

Some university leaders are among the bigger earners earmarked by Panorama's review.

Many universities - notably the top ranking Russell Group - have more than a hundred members of staff on more than £100,000 a year, the study shows.

At the top of the list is UCL's President and Provost Malcolm Grant.

A spokesman for UCL said Professor Grant's salary had been set before the current financial crisis and reflected a strong period of growth for UCL.

Top earners in universities
(pictured)
Malcolm Grant Provost & president University College London 		£376,190
No name supplied Title not given University College London £365,000
No name supplied Vice chancellor University of Liverpool £343,000
No name supplied Rector Imperial College £332,000
No name supplied Title not given University of Birmingham £325,000
No name supplied Current employee Imperial College £305,000
No name supplied Vice chancellor Leeds Metropolitan Univ. £299,000
No name supplied Vice President University of Manchester £295,000
No name supplied Current employee Imperial College £295,000
No name supplied Current employee Imperial College £295,000

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • University College London
    312
  • Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
    292
  • University of Oxford
    224
  • Cardiff University
    217
  • Kings College London
    202

Top earners in the police

The Panorama review found that 228 police officers across the UK earn more than £100,000.

Some 45 police officers earn more than the Prime Minister.

Top earners in the police
(pictured)
Sir Paul Stephenson Commissioner Metropolitan Police Service 		£280,489
Tim Godwin Deputy Commissioner Metropolitan Police Service £246,969
Sir Norman Bettison Chief Constable W. Yorkshire Constabulary £217,956
John Yates Assistant Commissioner Metropolitan Police Service £211,624
Sean Price Chief Constable Cleveland Police £208,691
Chris Allison Assistant Commissioner Metropolitan Police Service £204,882
Mike Craik Chief Constable Northumbria Police £204,701
Sir Hugh Orde Chief Constable Police Service of N. Ireland £202,500
Rose Fitzpatrick Dep. Asst. Commissioner Metropolitan Police Service £196,396
Ailsa Beaton Director of Information Metropolitan Police Service £189,896

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • Metropolitan Police Service
    48
  • Police Service of Northern Ireland
    9
  • Greater Manchester Police
    7
  • West Midlands Police
    7
  • Merseyside
    6
  • South Wales Police
    6
  • Bedfordshire Police
    5
  • Hertfordshire Constabulary
    5
  • Humberside Police
    5
  • Sussex Police
    5

Top earners in the judiciary

By comparison with some of the wages elsewhere in Panorama's database, judges seem almost modestly paid.

A recent list of the barristers earning the most from legal aid fees included one who earned over £900,000 in a single year.

However, judges' high pay has always been viewed as justified on the basis that they are highly qualified and poorly paid judges are more susceptible to bribery and corruption.

Top earners in the judiciary
(pictured)
Rt. Hon. The Lord Judge Lord Chief Justice Judiciary 		£239,845
Sir Declan Morgan Lord Chief Justice N. Ireland judiciary £214,165
Lord Hamilton Lord Pres. Court of Session Judiciary £214,165
Lord Neuberger Master of the Rolls Judiciary £214,165
Lord Phillips President, Supreme Court Judiciary £214,165
Sir Robert Andrew Morritt Chancellor, High Court Judiciary £206,857
Lady Hale Supreme Court Judiciary £206,857
Lord Brown Supreme Court Judiciary £206,857
Lord Collins Supreme Court Judiciary £206,857
Lord Hope Supreme Court Judiciary £206,857

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • Judges
    1293
  • Tribunal judges
    352
  • Senior judiciary
    210
  • Scottish judiciary
    151
  • Coroners
    4
  • Recorders
    2
  • Northern Ireland judiciary
    1

Top earners in quangos

Quangos, quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, are bodies that help deliver public services but operate an arms-length to the government.

They have proved controversial as some appear to have no clear function to fulfill.

The Cabinet Office produces an annual list of what it calls non-departmental public bodies, with some 766 names in all.

However, Matthew Flinders, Professor of Parliamentary Government and Governance at the University of Sheffield says: "The simple fact is that no one even knows how many quangos exist in Britain."

Top earners in quangos
(pictured)
David Higgins Chief Executive Olympic Delivery Authority 		£390,000
Tony Fountain Chief Executive Nuclear Decomm'g Authority £365,000
Howard Shiplee Director of Construction Olympic Delivery Authority £344,000
Richard Ackroyd Chief Executive Scottish Water £336,000
Dennis Hone Director of Finance Olympic Delivery Authority £325,000
Ed Richards Chief Executive OFCOM £321,749
No Name Supplied Improvement Prog. Manager London Dev. Agency £307,500
Mervyn King Governor The Bank of England £305,764
No Name Supplied Design and Development London Dev. Agency £292,500
Paul Tucker Deputy Governor The Bank of England £258,114

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • The Bank of England
    71
  • London Development Agency
    64
  • NHS Blood and Transplant
    43
  • Public Health Wales
    32
  • Olympic Delivery Authority
    29

Top earners in the BBC

There are 97 BBC managers earning over £160,000 and 160 bosses earning over £130,000. There are 331 paid over £100,000.

In 2009/10 Mark Thompson received a total remuneration pay package of £838,000 including base pay of £668,000 and £7000 in benefits.

He also receives an additional pension payment of £163,000. These pension payments are under review and the BBC has made it clear that these are likely to be ended.

For the next two years Mark Thompson and other members of the executive board will only take 11 months of their salaries.

Top earners in the BBC
(pictured)
Mark Thompson Director-General BBC 		£838,000*
Jana Bennett Director, Vision BBC £517,000*
Mark Byford Deputy Director-General BBC £488,000*
Tim Davie Director, Audio & Music BBC £452,000*
Zarin Patel Chief Financial Officer BBC £434,000*
Caroline Thomson Chief Operating Officer BBC £419,000*
Erik Huggers Dir. Future Media & Tech. BBC £407,000*
Sharon Baylay Director, MC&A BBC £345,000*
Lucy Adams Director, BBC People BBC £328,000*
Helen Boaden Director, BBC News BBC £327,800

Number of individuals earning over £100,000:

  • BBC Vision
    125
  • Future Media & Technology
    30
  • BBC Finance
    27
  • Operations Group
    27
  • BBC People
    21
  • Marketing, Communications & Audiences
    16
  • Audio & Music
    14
  • Journalism Group
    13
  • News
    11
  • Global News
    8
* Please see methodology for further detail

Public Sector Pay: Full Data

DownloadDownload the full data here:[7.7 MB]

In compiling this database Panorama, in collaboration with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, has made every effort to fairly represent the tens of thousands of Freedom of Information responses received from more than 2,400 organisations. The database represents the latest available salary and compensation figures from either 2009/10 or 2008/09. In the case of GPs, most of the data dates from 2007/08. Read our methodology for details on how the figures were put together.

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