BEXLEY Council has defended its decision to pay its six top officers a total of £881,994 a year.

The Taxpayers' Alliance has just published its Town Hall Rich List, which details the pay of the highest-paid local government employees.

Bexley's chief executive Nick Johnson comes eighth in the list of highest-paid officers of London councils.

His salary in 2005/6 was £180,999 - just £6,000 less than the Prime Minister and £3,480 a week.

The top earner in London was Wandsworth Council's chief executive who was paid £227,424.

According to the list, in 2005/6 five other Bexley officers also took home salaries of more than £100,000 a year.

Top earners were Peter Ellershaw, the director of environmental and regeneration services, who was paid £144,999.

Director of children and young people's services Deborah Absalom got £143,999.

Bexley's director of law and administration Bob Posner, who left Bexley after the May elections last year, was paid £142,999.

Deputy chief executive and director of finance and business services, David Berry, got £134,999.

Simon Leftley, who has just left for a new job with Southend Council was earning £133,999 in 2005/6 as director of adult services for Bexley Council and chief executive of Bexley Care Trust.

The two organisations shared the cost of his salary.

But a council spokesman said: "Bexley believes it pays its senior staff an appropriate and fair rate for the complex and skilled jobs they do and the results they achieve."

He says Bexley had to bear in mind the need to retain good staff and to compete with other organisations to attract highly-skilled workers.

It also awards pay according to a job evaluation and pay is linked to performance.

He said Bexley Council considered the salaries paid to its senior managers as "excellent value for money".