THE disclosure of pay packages received by council officials in Dorset comes as residents face rising council tax and a reduction in services.

Town Hall Rich List: how much did Dorset's top officers earn in 2016/17?

As the county prepares for Local Government Reorganisation, which will see nine authorities merge into two, a large number of senior officers will be leaving their posts.

Supporters of the mergers say the move will help to protect services, with fewer financial overheads resulting in more money going to front line.

Councils across the country are facing growing financial challenges, but officer pay remains a controversial talking point.

The eleventh annual report from the Tax Payers’ Alliance shows across the existing Dorset councils there were 47 employees receiving more than £100,000 through salary and pension contributions in 2016/17, with 20 of these occupy unknown job roles.

The alliance’s chief executive said it is “disappointing” that staff pay is not being scaled back.

On the pay to officers across Dorset, James Price, Taxpayers’ Alliance campaign manager, said: “There is an awful lot of people on a lot of money.

“You have some unnamed employees, with a job title that you don’t know and they are earning large amounts of money. Are their roles worth these sums of money?”

Nationally the report says 2,306 local authority employees received total remuneration in excess of £100,000, with Dorset County Council one of just 77 authorities with 10 or more employees receiving in excess of £100,000.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance suggests the findings are likely to be an understatement of the situation.

John O’Connell, Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said the figures come in a time when the average council tax bill has gone up by more than £900 over the past twenty years, while spending has also grown.

“Disappointingly, many local authorities are now responding to financial reality through further tax rises and reducing services rather than scaling back top pay,” Mr O’Connell said.

“Despite many in the public sector facing a much-needed pay freeze to help bring the public finances under control, many town hall bosses are continuing to pocket huge remuneration packages, with staggering pay-outs for those leaving their jobs despite a £95,000 cap passed by the last government.

“There are talented people in the public sector who are trying to deliver more for less, but the sheer scale of these packages raise serious questions about efficiency and priorities.”