A HAMPSHIRE council refused to say how many of its staff earn more than £100,000 – claiming it would take too long to answer.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA believes the number of staff at Hampshire County Council earning above £100,000 increased by eight in just a year.

But the council, which recently rubber-stamped £98million of cuts with the loss of 450 jobs, refused to answer a Freedom of Information request from the organisation asking for a figure, saying it would take more than 18 hours to find out the answer.

The TPA has released figures showing the number of workers earning £100,000 or more at councils in the UK. The figures include pension contributions, expenses and basic salaries.

At Hampshire County Council their figures show that the number of staff on packages worth £100,000 was 31 in 2012/13, but when the TPA requested the expenses information for all staff earning £100,000 in 2013/14 or more the council refused under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act.

In a letter to the TPA the council’s information compliance officer Amanda Godridge says reviewing the payrolls of about 40 members of staff would probably take over 18 hours.

She adds that the cost of dealing with the request would be more than the appropriate limit set for councils to deal with a request, that of £450.

The figure for staff on packages of £100,000 or more stood at 39 for 2013/14, rising to 43 when it includes staff receiving redundancy payments.

Chief executive Andrew Smith, who retired from the council earlier this year, was the top earner with a package of £234,538 including a salary of £207,000 with his successor in the top job, former deputy chief executive and director of children’s services John Coughlan, receiving £189,707.

The council said the number of staff on packages of more than £100,000 has since reduced, adding that the main reason for an increase in 2013/14 was due to it taking on extra public health responsibilities which meant former NHS senior health professionals joining the council, with funding coming via the government.

Leader Cllr Roy Perry said: “Senior management levels have been reduced by 25 per cent – with fewer people on top salary scales, and personnel structures modified so work is covered at lower salary levels, and at lower cost. Voluntary redundancy has also been offered to staff as a way of keeping compulsory job losses to a minimum.”

TPA chief executive Jonathan Isaby said: “At a time when budgets are tight, Hampshire County Council needs to prove more than ever that its senior staff are worth their salaries.

“Many Hampshire residents will raise their eyebrows at the revelation that no fewer than seven council employees enjoy pay deals worth more than that given to the Prime Minister.”

At Southampton City Council, the figures show that the number of staff earning remuneration of more than £100,000 dropped from 10 to nine from 2013/14 to 2014/15 with chief executive Dawn Baxendale receiving £172,367.

Eastleigh Borough Council’s chief executive Nick Tustian is the only official earning remuneration of more than £100,000 at the authority with an overall package of £112,390.

At both New Forest District Council and Winchester City Council two senior officers, including the chief executives, received more than £100,000 in 2014/15 while there were three at Test Valley Borough Council.

At all three councils the figures were the same as the previous financial year.

In Gosport, the number increased from one to two, with deputy chief executive and borough solicitor Linda Edwards given a £9,457 pay rise to boost her overall package to £100,538.

And in Fareham the number rose from one to two between 2012/13 and 2013/14, but only due to pension contributions to the Hampshire Pension Fund on behalf of former director of regulatory and democratic services Garry White, who was made redundant, being included.