THE six most senior officers at Kent County Council were paid salaries totalling at least £590,000 last year, according to officially audited figures just published. The highest paid official last year was the county council’s chief executive Mike Pitt, whose pay packet was between £140,000 and £150,000.

He is thought to be one of the best-paid chief executives in the country. The five other senior directors at County Hall who make up what is known as the corporate board received salaries ranging from £80,000 to £110,000.

They were the education director Nick Henwood; the social services director Peter Gilroy; finance director David Lewis; strategic planning director Peter Raine and Mary Mallett, director of corporate services.All six are understood to have recently received pay increases following a realignment of salaries which was prompted by a decision to offer the new education director a salary of £130,000.

In total, the combined salaries paid to the six most senior officials was anything between £590,000 and £650,000.

The report does not identify individuals and only sets out how many employees were paid in certain salary bands. The figures are thought to exclude any bonuses paid as a result of meeting performance targets.

In total, 168 senior officers were paid more than £40,000 a year. Outside the highest paid, most of those (124) received salaries of between £40,000 and £49,000; seventeen were paid between £50,000 and £59,000; fifteen earned £60,000 to £69,000 and six earned between £70,000 and £79,000.