More than 50 council staff members in south-east London are on salaries worth more than £100,000 a year, new information from a right-wing pressure group has shown.

The Taxpayer’s Alliance has revealed its annual Town Hall Rich List 2020, which shows that 53 staff across Greenwich, Bromley and Bexley are on salaries worth more than £100,000.

Among the boroughs, Greenwich has highest number of staff on or above that salary with 24, while Bromley has 20, and Bexley has among the lowest number in London at nine, according to the think tank.

In Bromley, current chief executive Ade Adetosoye earned £172,039 across 2018-19 based on his time as deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of education, care and health services, although £9167 in other compensation saw his total bumped up to £181,206.

However, his salary alone wasn’t the highest paid member there according to the data – with two undisclosed positions earning £182,500 and £177,500 in that time.

Bexley’s Paul Moore was the highest paid at his authority for his role as acting chief executive – £157,478. However, a £10,456 bonus and £32,497 in other earnings took his total paycheque to £200,431.

In Greenwich, chief executive Debbie Warren had a salary of £194,574, alongside a pension of £35,996.

A spokesperson for Greenwich Council, which has the highest number of officials earning more than £100,000 out of the south-east London authorities, said salaries reflected the market rate.

“The council has set its salaries for Chief Officers taking into account payments made by other London boroughs, and the going market rate. We are completely open and transparent about our finances, unlike the TaxPayers’ Alliance, which does not disclose where it gets its funding,” the spokesperson said.

“The information from the TaxPayers’ Alliance confirms that Royal Borough of Greenwich salaries are in line with other councils. In fact, salaries at the borough are lower than many other comparable boroughs because we use outer London weighting instead of inner London weighting. Our salaries are also far lower than private sector equivalents.”

A Bexley Council spokesperson said none of the named postholders still worked for the council.

“The Council employs around 2,000 people and provides a population of a quarter of million people with a wide range of essential services,” the spokesperson said.

“Management on this scale with accountability to elected Councillors and local people is a significant responsibility, requires people with a high level of skills and experience which require appropriate payment.

“The research carried out by the TPA illustrates that the number of people on higher salaries in Bexley is very low compared to most other councils with similar responsibilities.”

A list of the 20 highest-paid workers in local government doesn’t include any from Bromley, Bexley or Greenwich, the report shows.

The highest paid council official in the UK is named as Janice Hewitt, the chief executive of social care at North Lanarkshire Council in Scotland, who is paid more than £615,000.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance was founded in 2004 and advocates concepts such as privatisation and cutting public spending.

But the group has been heavily criticised for its lack of transparency about how it is funded and who its donors are.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the Taxpayer’s Alliance said: “The coronavirus crisis means that frontline council services are more crucial than ever, but at the same time household budgets face an enormous squeeze from crushing council tax rises.

“There are plenty of talented people in local authorities who are focused on delivering more for less, but that is needed across the board.

“The country needs every council to cut out waste and prioritise key services without resorting to punishing tax hikes on their residents.

“These figures should shine a light on the town hall bosses who’ve got it right, but also allow taxpayers to hold to account those who aren’t delivering value for money at this critical time.”

Bromley Council have been contacted for comment.