A TOTAL of 11 council bosses in Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire were on packages worth more than £100,000 last year, it has been revealed.

The figures are contained in a ‘rich list’ published by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

While the number of East Renfrewshire Council staff pocketing six-figure sums remained unchanged in 2016/17, there was a reduction of three in Renfrewshire.

Top earner was Renfrewshire Council chief executive Sandra Black, who banked £186,357, with another four directors getting more than £134,000.

In East Renfrewshire, chief executive Lorraine McMillan earned the most (£138,874), with another five employees breaking the £100,000 barrier.

The packages include salary, benefits in kind, expenses, bonuses, redundancy payments and employer pension contributions.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “After years of excess, councils have woken up to reality and are slimming down senior management teams.

“It’s good news for taxpayers that the number of very high earners is falling, but there are still far too many astronomical pay-offs for those leaving employment.

“There are talented people in the public sector who are trying to deliver more for less, but the sheer scale of these packages raise serious questions about efficiency and priorities. The government must also act to implement the exit payment cap that was passed in 2016.”

Across Scotland, 222 council staff received remuneration totalling more than £100,000, 10 down on the previous year, while in the UK 2,306 council staff raked in more than £100,000, a drop of 60.

North Lanarkshire Council had the most employees on more than £100,000 in Scotland while the largest remuneration package in Scotland of £563,862 went to Edinburgh Council’s finance director, Norman Strachan - the third highest payment in the UK.

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “Best value is at the heart of all Council decision making and our sound financial management has been highlighted in a 2017 Audit Scotland report.”

An East Renfrewshire Council spokesperson added: “We are very open about our salaries and this is publicly-available information.”