A Freedom of Information survey discovered that 9,187 public servants in the U.K. earn approximately 142,500 pounds (US$212,000) or more than Prime Minister David Cameron gets in a year, the Daily Mail reports.
Research by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism showed about 38,000 public servants are paid more than 100,000 pounds (US$155,000) a year from tax payer money. The highest salary, 475,000 pounds ($738,000) is paid to two GPs. The results are aired at a time public services face the threat of huge cuts. The survey will increase pressure to cut staff and salaries rather than services,the Daily Mail reports.
According to Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, the financial reward for senior staff has gotten “out of hand” he said. In order to get through a fiscal crisis without putting a larger burden on the taxpayers, there needs to be some constraint.
The review found that 385 teachers and 196 police officers get paid more than 100,000 pounds a year with 17 teachers and 45 police officers earning more than the prime minister. According to Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude the ethos of public service means that money is not the main motivator. He said, “People will come and work in the public sector for salaries that aren’t competitive in a private sector sense.”
