Stoke-on-Trent City Council's top officer received an £18,500 pay rise last year – as the number of staff on at least £50,000 jumped above 320.

Chief executive Jon Rouse saw his total remuneration, including pension contributions, rise from £204,923 to £223,470 in 2023/24.

Meanwhile, the number of non-senior employees paid more than £50,000 increased from 251 to 321. 

The council says that this increase was due to inflation and a national pay award, and not through the creation of more high-paid roles. It also says that Mr Rouse declined a further pay increase in 2024/25.

The figures are included in the council's latest draft accounts, which have only recently been published due to delays. National regulations require councils to publish information about staff earning more than £50,000.

Previous accounts show that the number of city council staff above this threshold fell to a low of 114 in 2020/21, but it has been rising every year since then. More than half of the 2023/24 total were in the £50,000 to £54,999 bracket, but there were seven non-senior officers who received more than £100,000.

These figures do not include senior managers at the council, whose pay is listed separately in the accounts. Apart from Mr Rouse, six other senior officers are listed in the accounts, with their pay ranging from £100,882 to £178,118.

A city council spokesperson said: "The city council has not increased the number of high-paid staff.

"The increase in roles earning over £50,000 is due to a national pay award (effective from April 1, 2023) which raised salaries across the country.

"This took more of our existing staff above the £50,000 threshold. We did not create new high-paid roles.

"It is also important to recognise inflation ran at 3.5 per cent last year. Salaries, like shop prices, have risen as a result of this.

"The chief executive has chosen to decline a pay increase for 2024/25. Given the effects of inflation, this amounts to a real-terms pay cut for him.

"We are committed to maximising value for the taxpayer and driving down costs. This includes staffing overhead costs – for example our recent budget proposals include deleting many vacant posts."

Employee related spending increases and other inflation issues will create a £14.7 million budget pressure for the council in 2025/26. 

Cabinet members will agree their final budget proposals when they meet on Tuesday, including a 4.99 per cent council tax increase, £7.5 million of savings and a request for a further £16.8 million of exceptional financial support from the government.