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Essex County Council: senior pay and councillor allowances
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
In its draft statement of accounts for 2025-26, Essex County Council reports total remuneration of £296,253 for its chief executive (including employer pension contributions), a year in which the post changed hands, 81 employees paid £100,000 or more, and £1,906,000 paid in members' allowances.
Key figures
- £296,253Chief Executive, 2025-26
- 81Staff paid £100,000 or more, 2025-26
- £1,906,000Members' allowances, 2025-26
- £14,471Basic allowance per councillor, 2025-26
Chief Executive
Total remuneration of £296,253 in 2025-26, including employer pension contributions. Excluding pension contributions: £246,205. The post changed hands, or the figure covers part of a year, so it is not compared with the year before.
| As printed | Year | Total |
|---|---|---|
Chief Executive - Miss Nicole WoodDetails for Chief Executive - Miss Nicole Wood | 2025-26 | £296,253 |
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Former Chief Executive - Mr Gavin JonesDetails for Former Chief Executive - Mr Gavin Jones | 2025-26 | £10,000 |
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Chief Executive - Miss Nicole WoodDetails for Chief Executive - Miss Nicole Wood | 2024-25 | £228,132 |
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Chief Executive - Mr Gavin JonesDetails for Chief Executive - Mr Gavin Jones | 2024-25 | £269,472 |
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From the accounts: Nicole Wood became Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) on 14 February 2025; her 2024/25 figure covers both that role and her prior role as Executive Director, Corporate Services. Gavin Jones was Chief Executive until 13 February 2025; the 2025/26 £10,000 is the remainder of pay in lieu of notice. 'previous' shows the Nicole Wood line; the Gavin Jones 2024/25 line is also listed.
PDF pages 120-121, Note 37
Employees paid £50,000 or more
2,633 employees in 2025-26, up 21.0% on 2024-25 (2,176). 81 were paid £100,000 or more, 5.1 per 100,000 residents. The median among the 4 other county councils collected so far is 6.0 per 100,000.
| Band | 2025-26 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
£50,000 to £54,999Details for £50,000 to £54,999 | 932 | 774 |
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£55,000 to £59,999Details for £55,000 to £59,999 | 557 | 397 |
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£60,000 to £64,999Details for £60,000 to £64,999 | 274 | 228 |
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£65,000 to £69,999Details for £65,000 to £69,999 | 270 | 261 |
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£70,000 to £74,999Details for £70,000 to £74,999 | 213 | 169 |
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£75,000 to £79,999Details for £75,000 to £79,999 | 91 | 84 |
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£80,000 to £84,999Details for £80,000 to £84,999 | 60 | 48 |
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£85,000 to £89,999Details for £85,000 to £89,999 | 53 | 58 |
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£90,000 to £94,999Details for £90,000 to £94,999 | 56 | 60 |
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£95,000 to £99,999Details for £95,000 to £99,999 | 46 | 20 |
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£100,000 to £104,999Details for £100,000 to £104,999 | 12 | 20 |
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£105,000 to £109,999Details for £105,000 to £109,999 | 17 | 13 |
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£110,000 to £114,999Details for £110,000 to £114,999 | 15 | 4 |
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£115,000 to £119,999Details for £115,000 to £119,999 | 3 | 4 |
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£120,000 to £124,999Details for £120,000 to £124,999 | 4 | 5 |
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£125,000 to £129,999Details for £125,000 to £129,999 | 12 | 14 |
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£130,000 to £134,999Details for £130,000 to £134,999 | 10 | 2 |
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£135,000 to £139,999Details for £135,000 to £139,999 | 1 | 2 |
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£140,000 to £144,999Details for £140,000 to £144,999 | 0 | 3 |
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£145,000 to £149,999Details for £145,000 to £149,999 | 2 | 3 |
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£150,000 to £154,999Details for £150,000 to £154,999 | 1 | 4 |
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£155,000 to £159,999Details for £155,000 to £159,999 | 3 | 1 |
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£180,000 to £184,999Details for £180,000 to £184,999 | 1 | 1 |
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£230,000 to £234,999Details for £230,000 to £234,999 | 0 | 1 |
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Includes schools staff. Senior officers listed separately are not in these counts. From the accounts: Note 36: 'The numbers of officers whose remuneration amounted to £50,000 or more, grouped in rising bands of £5,000'; pension payments do not count as remuneration. Non-schools, Schools and Total columns; counts are Total (2,633 in 2025/26; 2,176 in 2024/25). 'Senior officers whose individual remuneration is disclosed in note 37 (page 120) are excluded from the remuneration bandings'. Dashes recorded as 0.
Source: Essex County Council, Draft Statement of Accounts 2025/26 (draft), PDF page 118, Note 36. Read by hand; checked 2026-09-24.
Councillors' allowances
£1,906,000 in 2025-26, up 5.5% on 2024-25 (£1,807,000), or £1.21 per resident. The median among the 4 other county councils collected so far is £1.29 per resident.
| Paid as | Total |
|---|---|
| Basic allowances | £1,076,289 |
| Special responsibility allowances | £803,234 |
| Expenses | £27,846 |
| All | £1,906,814 |
The basic allowance for each councillor is £14,471 a year (2025-26).
From the accounts: "Basic allowances 1,076 (2024/25 1,020); Special responsibility allowances 803 (758); subtotal 1,879 (1,778); Members expenses 27 (29); total 1,906 (1,807) £000" (PDF page 115, Note 34)
Published allowances: Essex County Council Member Allowances 2025/26 - A report by Paul Turner, Director, Legal and Assurance, 15 July 2026.
What this data does and doesn't show
- Every figure is as Essex County Council printed it, in accounts that have not yet been audited. Counts in the £100,000 figure are our sum of the council's bands.
- Comparisons are with the other county councils read so far; no national figure is published for England.
- The annual summary lists each member (including two independent persons paid £750 each) without a totals row; figures are our column sums: Basic Pay 1,076,288.66; Special Responsibility 803,234.43; Mileage & Parking 24,448.26; Fares 2,991.57; Subsistence & Accommodation 20.00; Carers Allowance 386.50; 'Totals including VAT' 1,906,813.67. Three rows' printed totals are £185.25 lower than their Basic Pay, which the report's Note 1 attributes to an underpayment rectified in June 2026. The council web page states 'Indexation was applied in May 2025 and the basic allowance is now £14,471'; the summary shows a full-year Basic Pay of 14,409.29 paid in 2025/26.