THE chief executive of Kent County Council is to be paid more than £180,000 a year under a new salary package.

The deal, rubber-stamped by county councillors at a private meeting last month, is thought to make Mike Pitt, who joined KCC in 1997 after the Conservatives regained control, the highest paid council official in the country.

The new salary package will also entitle Mr Pitt to an annual pension of £90,000 and a retirement grant of £270,000.

It means he is better paid than Prime Minister Tony Blair and on a par with a Government Permanent Secretary – the highest paid civil servants.

Mr Pitt, who is responsible for a £1 billion budget 32,000 staff, joined KCC from Cheshire County Council on a salary of about £140,000. The new deal represents a 28 per cent increase.

Unison branch secretary David Buss said: “Most local authorities manage to recruit quite capable chief executives without resorting to these salary levels. It is very difficult to justify an increase of 28 per cent for the chief executive when the pay increase for most staff has been three per cent.

“My members will be very angry about this and it will hit morale. We already have difficulties recruiting and retaining staff.”

The salary package was agreed by all three political parties at County Hall although it is understood the opposition did have reservations about the pension agreement.

County council Conservative leader Cllr Sandy Bruce-Lockhrt said: “KCC has the lowest staff costs as a percentage of budgets of any council in England. We pay well to get the best people to produce good services.”