At a time when council tax bills are rising, seven council officers are each earning more than three times the average nurse's salary in Bedford

The Town Hall Rich List 2021, published by Taxpayers' Alliance, sets out details of the top earners in local authorities all over England.

It shows Bedford Borough Council chief executive Philip Simpkins earning a basic salary of £180,423, which inflates to £210,915 with his 'gold-plated' £30,492 a year pension contribution.

This is higher than Prime Minister Boris Johnson who receives £81,932 for being an MP and is entitled to an additional £79,469 for his role as PM.

The rich list also reveals six other officials in Bedford who are earning more than £100,000 a year.

One of the highest paid officers is the director of environment, who pockets £134,905. The director of adult services earns £126,015 (plus £21,297 pension), as does the director of children's services £126,015.

The assistant chief executive (enabling services) receives £114,444 plus £19,341 in pension contributions, and the director of public health gets £103,000 with £14,811 pension.

Meanwhile the average salary for a hard-working NHS nurse in the UK is £33,384, according to the Royal College of Nursing. A vital primary school teacher earns an average of £34,500 a year.

Taxpayers' Alliance campaigners say it is unfair that council officers are paid so much when the public are facing rising council tax bills. They are calling on local authorities to stop council tax rises and cut down on wasteful spending by scrapping pet projects and pay rises for council executives.

A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “The management pay rates and grading structure are locally agreed and independently reviewed to ensure they are set at an appropriate level.

“The council has saved over £1million through a previous senior management restructure, and is currently undergoing a further management restructure as part of our transformation programme.”