Council's pension payments top £52m
KENT County Council paid one of the highest employer pension contributions last year, forking out £52.4 million.
According to figures released by pressure group the Taxpayers' Alliance, this made the council the ninth highest local authority spender in the country.
But despite the massive outlay, its 2010/11 contribution was actually less than the previous year, when it paid £53.1 million into the Local Government Pension Scheme.
Birmingham City Council topped the list with a contribution of £112 million.
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County council spokesman Kirsty Russell described Kent's performance as "relatively good".
She said: "Kent County Council has long argued that the costs of the Local Government Pension Scheme to employers are too high. "But this is a national scheme and only now under the Coalition Government are costs going to be reduced."
The Taxpayers' Alliance, which fights for lower taxes, admitted local authorities have no control over how much they pay on employee contributions.
But they can refuse councillors entry to the scheme and can exercise discretion over making "added years" payments to staff who retire early.
Ms Russell said its scheme was not open to councillors and the added years benefit was removed in 2006.
"It has been our expressed policy statement since to not grant extra pension scheme membership," she added.
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