An ex-North East council boss claimed a whopping £40,000 in expenses in a single year – more than any other council officer in the country.

The ex-CEO of Northumberland County Council Daljit Lally claimed £40,000 of taxpayers’ money on expenses, on top of her cush £168,792 salary.

She left the job last year after a £209,000 payout was agreed by county councillors.

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Gateshead Council boss Sheena Ramsey claimed the seventh most of any council officer in the UK, pocketing £14,842 on expenses.

Council chiefs across the region pocketed salaries of between £102,000 and £194,000.

While Sunderland Council's Executive Director of City Development Peter McIntyre scooped the biggest salary of any council officer in the region - and the fifth largest salary in the UK - at £229,611.

The figures, for the 2021/22 financial year, have been revealed by think tank the Taxpayer’s Alliance which has released its annual Town Hall Rich list detailing the amount paid out by local authorities to officers.

Across the country more than 2,750 council officials took home upwards of £100,000, with 721 of them getting more than £150,000.

Northumberland County Council also paid out remuneration packages of more than £100,000 to more officers than any other in the North East. However, the council has pointed out that it has since introduced sweeping changes to its top team that will have brought the wage bill down.

A spokesperson for the council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The most senior local government posts come with significant statutory responsibility and that is reflected in the salaries paid by councils across the UK.

“In Northumberland we are committed to providing first class services and value for money to all its residents, including driving down costs where we can – and we are confident this is being achieved.  The figures relating to the number of employees earning over £100k relate to 2021/22 when a number of interim arrangements were in place.

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“This year a new Chief Executive has come into post alongside new executive directors in a more efficient and streamlined top management structure. If proposals are agreed next week our new structure will reduce to 15 posts earning more than £100k.

“We fully expect that this senior management restructure will save us in the region of a million pounds.”

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: “Taxpayers facing record council tax rises want to be sure they are getting value for money from their local authority leadership.

“Many authorities continue with extremely generous pay and perks, including bonuses and golden goodbyes, while local people are facing a financial squeeze.

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“Residents can use these figures to hold their local town hall bosses to account.”

Here’s how much your local council boss is paid, and how much they claimed on expenses, if anything:

  • County Durham – John Hewitt, Chief Executive - £102,384 salary
  • Darlington – Chief Executive (name not disclosed) - £147,378 salary
  • Gateshead – Sheena Ramsey, Chief Executive - £175,226 salary + £14,842 expenses
  • Hartlepool – Denise McGuckin, Managing Director - £154,959 salary
  • Middlesbrough – Tony Parkinson, Chief Executive - £154,960 salary
  • Newcastle – Chief Executive (name not disclosed) - £116,669 salary
  • North Tyneside – Paul Hanson, Chief Executive – £160,494 salary
  • Northumberland – Daljit Lally, former Chief Executive - £168,792 salary + £40,000 expenses
  • Redcar and Cleveland – Managing Director (name not disclosed) - £140,793 salary
  • South Tyneside – Jonathan Tew, Chief Executive - £108,720 salary
  • Stockton – Managing Director (name not disclosed) - £155,915 salary
  • Sunderland – Patrick Melia, Chief Executive - £194,474 salary