As residents face an 8.66 per cent increase in council tax this year, the Chief Executive of Gwynedd Council looks set to receive a pay rise of £4,000.

If unions agree on a new offer for chief officers, Dafydd Gibbard’s pay will rise from £124,634 to £128,623.

Mr Gibbard has served as Gwynedd’s Chief Executive since May 2021 when, according to online accounts, the basic salary for the role was £99,317.

This rose to £115,348 for the 2022/23 financial year, and £121,595 for 2023/24.

In 2024/25, the nationally agreed pay award for Chief Officers of 2.5 per cent boosted the salary to around £124,634.

This year, Mr Gibbard looks set to benefit from a 3.2 per cent increase in his six figure wage if a pay offer from National Employers, which negotiates pay on behalf of 350 local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, is accepted by the Alace union which represents local authority chief executives and senior managers.

The proposed rise would see Mr Gibbard’s basic salary for 2025/26 rise to £128,623, an increase of just under £30,000 since 2021.

This does not include pension contributions or payment for other roles, such as returning officer.

With negotiations only started in February, and no final decision made on unions accepting the offer by the end of the financial year, any pay increase agreed will be backdated to April.

If they reject the offer, salary increases could be even higher.

The body representing senior local authority officers has welcomed, but not yet agreed, the 3.2 per cent pay increase offered to its members by employers.

The Association of Local Authority Chief Executive and Senior Managers believe the settlement recognises the important role senior officers play within local authorities.