NEW figures reveal Cumbria County Council paid more money to a single employee than any other council in the United Kingdom.


Jill Stannard, the former Chief Executive, was paid £411,025 during 2013/14 - £269,025 more than the Prime Minister - according to a Freedom of Information request sent by the Tax Payers' Alliance.


The figures also show that Cumbria County Council is one of only six per cent of councils in Great Britain to have paid 25 employees o£100,000 during the same year.


Mrs Stannard stepped-down from her £170,000-a-year role as Chief Executive in May 2013, but was paid a total of £411,025 because she was given a £297,000 top-up to her pension pot and an £87,000 lump sum.


The Freedom of Information request also shows that two council officers were paid more than £200,000-a-year when the data was collected.


Steve Atkinson, of Loppergarth, represents the Is It Fair group in Cumbria, which campaigns against the council tax increase of two per cent announced in February this year.


He said: "It is a wholly insulting sum of money when you consider the level of wages up and down the county. We have lads and girls getting paid minimum wage and they're funding this sort of thing.


"There's absolutely no justification.


"The Prime Minister is on £142,000 a year and David Cameron is responsible for the entire country, they [Cumbria County Council staff] should be on less than that."


In response, a spokesperson for the council said: “Today’s coverage in the media is highly misleading. Jill Stannard was on an annual salary of £170k.

"When she retired she received a termination payment of £87,500, which was in line with our policies. Finally, as part of her retirement, the council had a responsibility to make an additional contribution to her pension fund. 


"Currently the council’s current Chief Executive now receives a reduced salary of £140,000 a year and she has overseen a major reduction in the number of managers within the council which has delivered savings in excess of over £4million over the last 4 years."


The council also stated that, while 25 people received more than £100,000 in 2013/14, that was through a combination of salary, pension and national insurance.


Currently, there are five members of staff, including the Chief Executive, on £100,000 or more.


The County Council announced in February that it has to cut £37 million from its budget by 2016/17, and is expected to axe almost half of its workforce by 2018.