Bedford Borough Council’s chief executive salary band can reach £208k, around eight times the lowest salary, according to a pay policy recommended for adoption.
The council’s General Purposes Committee agreed on Tuesday (3 March) to recommend the Pay Policy Statement 2026/27 to Full Council, which it will decide whether to formally adopt at its next meeting.
The pay policy sets out how the council pays and rewards employees and must be published each year under the Localism Act 2011.
The report confirms that the council’s chief executive salary band is £187,517 to £208,118.
Other senior pay ranges include:
- Deputy chief executive and executive director of environment: £136,346 – £166,045
- Executive directors (Adult Services, Children, Education & Families, Public Health and Resources): £120,904 – £144,662
The report presented to the committee said the remuneration figures “are correct at the time of being presented to the General Purposes Committee, however, these will be subject to review as part of the annual national pay award”.
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The policy also states that the council does not pay bonuses to senior employees.
At the other end of the scale, the council’s lowest pay grade (spinal column point 3) is £24,796, following a nationally negotiated change to the local government pay spine that removes the previous lowest point from April 2026.
Based on those figures, the chief executive’s salary band is around eight times higher than the council’s lowest salary level.
The report also states that the council pays the voluntary Living Wage through a supplement where the substantive salary grade falls below that level.
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Cllr Ben Foley (Green, Greyfriars) questioned the principle of setting pay to be “competitive within the market”.
“If the market has a tendency to underpay or alternatively overpay, from my perspective, neither is a good reason for us as a council to be following,” the councillor said.
“Then there’s subsequent talk about the median within the public or not-for-profit sector for the south-east of England, where again the same principle will apply under those circumstances.
“That said, I’m very, very proud and welcome that the council is paying the real living wage to all employees and not sticking to the national minimum wage, which is a very, very low bar that everyone is required to clear, so it’s good that we are clearing the slightly higher one.”
After discussion, the committee agreed to recommend the pay policy to Full Council for adoption.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
