Dumfries and Galloway: Are Council Bosses Good Value for Money? But Beware the Middle Mafia.


In an earlier post, I suggested that Dumfries and Galloway might be "overweight" at the top, based on the number of senior managers earning over £100,000. After reviewing the full picture, it’s clear that this is not the case.

In fact, the number of top-paid senior executives in Dumfries and Galloway is relatively low compared to both the Scottish and UK averages.

The real issue isn’t at the top — it’s in the layers just below.
It’s the proliferation of upper-middle management roles — often less visible, but numerous — that seems to create both cost and complexity in the council structure. These roles typically carry significant salaries, but don't make the "Rich List" cutoff of £100,000, and their growing numbers can lead to:

Slower decision-making.

More bureaucracy.

Less accountability.

Higher overhead costs for taxpayers.
A new report from the TaxPayers’ Alliance — the Town Hall Rich List 2024 — has revealed how much local councils across the UK spend on senior management salaries. So I have crunched the numbers to see where Dumfries and Galloway stands.

In Dumfries and Galloway, 5 senior council staff earn over £100,000, with the highest paid on £136,441. When you spread this across the population (around 148,500 people) — that equates to £4,593 in senior management costs per 1,000 residents.

How does that compare? Take a look:

And here’s how it stacks up against other parts of the UK:


London councils spend the most: £11,072 per 1,000 residents.

Northern Ireland spends the least: £3,584 per 1,000 residents.

Dumfries and Galloway is comfortably below both the Scottish and UK averages.


This suggests that despite rising council tax and service pressures, Dumfries and Galloway isn’t overspending on its top executives compared to other areas.

So it needs a deeper dive than, this Town Hall Rich List, to discover where the expanding numbers of Council staff are working towards our services and where potential savings might be made.
Its the Middle Mafia where the real cost fat is growing. A army of Box ticketing jobs Worhers.


Sources:

Town Hall Rich List 2024 (TaxPayers’ Alliance)

ONS 2023 Population Estimates

UK Government council tax reports

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