Councils pay €1m annually to senior staff

Top civil servants in local authorities cost about €1m per council annually, despite emergency pay cuts and calls to slash the number of senior lucrative posts.

An Irish Examiner investigation into the pay of top officials shows that although pay rates were cut in 2009, the highest earners remain protected.

With homeowners being forced to pay €100 towards local services, figures reveal many county councils are top-heavy with senior staff, and several people earn in excess of €100,000.