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Swansea: senior pay and councillor allowances
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
In its statement of accounts for 2024-25, Swansea reports total remuneration of £201,891 for its chief executive (including employer pension contributions), 18 employees paid £100,000 or more, and £2,097,000 paid in members' allowances.
Key figures
- £201,891Chief Executive, 2024-25
- 18Staff paid £100,000 or more, 2024-25
- £2,097,000Members' allowances, 2024-25
- £19,771Basic allowance per councillor, 2025-26
Chief Executive
Total remuneration of £201,891 in 2024-25, including employer pension contributions. Excluding pension contributions: £166,439. That is up 2.5% on 2023-24 (£196,966). The median among the 2 other Welsh councils collected so far is £224,246.
From the accounts: Chief Executive - Martin Nicholls. 2024/25: remuneration (including fees & allowances) 166,439; compensation for loss of office 0; total excluding pension 166,439; pension contributions (21.3%) 35,452; total including pension 201,891. 2023/24: 162,379; 0; 162,379; 34,587; 196,966. Footnote: in 2024/25 the Chief Executive also received £9,262.50 Returning Officer fees for General Elections (additional).
PDF pages 111 and 114, Note 27(a) Table 1 (landscape tables)
Employees paid £60,000 or more
308 employees in 2024-25, up 28.9% on 2023-24 (239). 18 were paid £100,000 or more, 7.2 per 100,000 residents. The median among the 3 other Welsh councils collected so far is 9.5 per 100,000.
| Band | 2024-25 | 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|
£60,000 to £64,999Details for £60,000 to £64,999 | 112 | 71 |
| ||
£65,000 to £69,999Details for £65,000 to £69,999 | 57 | 54 |
| ||
£70,000 to £74,999Details for £70,000 to £74,999 | 43 | 44 |
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£75,000 to £79,999Details for £75,000 to £79,999 | 32 | 19 |
| ||
£80,000 to £84,999Details for £80,000 to £84,999 | 15 | 18 |
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£85,000 to £89,999Details for £85,000 to £89,999 | 19 | 4 |
| ||
£90,000 to £94,999Details for £90,000 to £94,999 | 9 | 8 |
| ||
£95,000 to £99,999Details for £95,000 to £99,999 | 3 | 6 |
| ||
£100,000 to £104,999Details for £100,000 to £104,999 | 3 | 2 |
| ||
£105,000 to £109,999Details for £105,000 to £109,999 | 2 | 3 |
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£110,000 to £114,999Details for £110,000 to £114,999 | 3 | 5 |
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£115,000 to £119,999Details for £115,000 to £119,999 | 4 | 2 |
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£120,000 to £124,999Details for £120,000 to £124,999 | 3 | 2 |
| ||
£125,000 to £129,999Details for £125,000 to £129,999 | 2 | 1 |
| ||
£130,000 to £134,999Details for £130,000 to £134,999 | 1 | 0 |
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Includes schools staff. Senior officers listed separately are not in these counts. From the accounts: Current = 2024/25, previous = 2023/24. Welsh threshold £60,000. Note 27(b): 'The number of employees (excluding Senior Officers) whose remuneration (excluding employer's pension contributions) was £60,000 or more'. Includes compensation for loss of office. 'The numbers shown relate to Authority employees, which predominantly include teaching staff. The bandings above include fifteen teachers (2023/24 ten teachers) who are employed by voluntary aided schools.' Totals 308 and 239.
Source: Swansea, Statement of Accounts 2024/25 Swansea Council l Cyngor Abertawe (audited), PDF page 117, Note 27(b). Read by hand; checked 2026-09-24.
Councillors' allowances
£2,097,000 in 2024-25, up 5.5% on 2023-24 (£1,987,000), or £8.41 per resident. The median among the 3 other Welsh councils collected so far is £7.24 per resident.
The basic allowance for each councillor is £19,771 a year (2025-26). It is set nationally: £19,771 for 2025-26.
From the accounts: "Members' Allowances: Allowances 2,085 (2023/24 1,968); Expenses 12 (19); Total 2,097 (1,987) £'000" (PDF page 110, Note 26)
What this data does and doesn't show
- Every figure is as Swansea printed it. Counts in the £100,000 figure are our sum of the council's bands.
- Comparisons are with the other Welsh councils read so far; no national figure is published for England.
- No 2025/26 statement of accounts was listed on the council's statement of accounts page at the time of checking; the 2024/25 statement (with a Notice of Certification of Completion of the 2024-25 audit) is used. Basic rate is the national Welsh basic salary for 2025-26. An annual allowances-paid publication for Swansea was not located in the time available (the 'Annual Schedule of Member Remuneration' is the rates schedule). Swansea's website blocks automated downloads; the accounts were read in a browser.