Adrian Smith serves as chief executive of Nottinghamshire County Council. The authority’s most senior officer receives annual compensation exceeding £208,000, despite earlier Reform Party objections to generous council salaries.

The council, led by Reform, convened on Thursday, March 19 and approved its revised remuneration framework for 2025/26. Local authorities must release this documentation annually prior to the start of the new financial period.

The paperwork included the newly established permanent yearly salary for council chief executive Adrian Smith, determined through a collaborative pay determination process.

From April 1, 2025 onward, Mr Smith’s earnings total £208,117 annually – representing approximately a three percent increase from his £201,644 salary during the period spanning April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025.

The compensation spread between the authority’s top earner and its lowest-paid staff members has narrowed in recent years, now standing at 8:1, compared to the 9.03:1 ratio recorded in 2023.

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, traveled to the county in April 2025 preceding May’s local elections.

During an appearance in Ashfield, he conveyed his views to Nottinghamshire Live journalist Oliver Pridmore regarding remuneration for senior council officers, stating: “This is not Chelsea, it is good money in this part of the world.”

He further observed: “It’s not just him [Adrian Smith], you’ve got another 11 people earning over 100 grand a year.”

He added: “We’re very happy to pay people big money, if they deliver. By all means pay people well if they deliver, and delivering is reducing debt whilst keeping services. Meet your targets or get fired.”

Reports from neighbouring Derbyshire indicate Reform councillors had challenged their authority’s chief executive salary, drawing parallels with the Prime Minister’s earnings, on campaign materials distributed to households.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached the Reform council leader, Mick Barton, for his perspective on the chief executive’s remuneration and Mr Farage’s earlier expressions of concern.

He opted not to address those specific matters, stating: “The Pay Policy comes every year. It’s a legal document, it’s out in the public domain from April 1 – it’s a legal requirement.”

Although council chief executive compensation is not determined by the controlling party, pay policy documentation remains subject to examination and approval at full council sessions.

Councillor Sam Smith (Con), opposition leader at the authority, offered the following assessment of the chief executive’s salary increase to the LDRS: “It’s yet another false promise by Reform. They got elected when they put out leaflets promising to cut council tax and get rid of high paid officers – it’s bonkers.”

He continued: “Now [Adrian Smith’s] salary has increased by £7,000, which is more than the Prime Minister.”

During Thursday’s proceedings, Councillor Penny Gowland (Lab) “welcomed” the reduction in the disparity between the authority’s highest and lowest earners as a “reduction in equality”.

She commented: “I think this is largely due to an increase in the national minimum wage.”

She expressed concern: “I am a bit concerned that people on grades two to five are all being paid the same [£25,949]… I doubt this is good for staff morale.”

The LDRS contacted the council regarding Cllr Gowland’s remarks, confirming that staff members on grades two through five have received identical compensation since April 1, 2025.

A council representative stated: “As part of our overall ambition to model good employment practice, the council formally adopted the Living Wage rate determined by the Living Wage Foundation for the UK (outside London) from 1 April 2014.”

They continued: “The current nationally set Living Wage Foundation rate is £13.45 per hour. This applies to all the council’s direct employees on [grades] 2 to 5, as their rates of pay fall below this. For these employees, the Living Wage rate is paid as an allowance on top of existing pay rates.”

“Nottinghamshire County Council adheres to national pay bargaining in respect of the national pay spine and any annual cost of living increase negotiated on it.