UKGC Pay Structure Revealed After FOI Reversal
Regulator initially withheld senior executive salaries, citing privacy, before an internal review confirmed the data was already public.
A Freedom of Information request has revealed the full pay structure of the UK Gambling Commission, but only after the regulator reversed an initial decision to withhold salary details for its CEO and Executive Directors.
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A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has shed light on the complete salary structure at the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), but only after the regulator reversed its initial decision to withhold pay details for its most senior staff.
The data, released following a request made on 20 February 2023, provides a comprehensive list of job titles and pay grades within the organisation responsible for regulating UK gambling.
The Initial Refusal
The UKGC's initial response provided a spreadsheet of job titles and a document detailing pay ranges for roles up to 'grade 15'. However, it withheld salary information for several 'grade 16' roles and one 'grade 17' role, stating they fell outside the formal pay structure.
The Commission cited Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which protects personal data. It argued that disclosing the salaries of these individuals would be unfair and that there was no legitimate public interest to override their expectation of privacy.
Why This Matters for Consumers
The Gambling Commission is a public body funded by fees levied on the gambling operators it licences. These costs are an operational expense for operators and are ultimately factored into the market, affecting consumers. Transparency regarding how these funds are spent, particularly on staffing and executive pay, is essential for maintaining public trust and ensuring the regulator is accountable.
Internal Review and Reversal
The requester challenged the decision, prompting an internal review. They argued there was a “significant public interest” in the salaries of the highest-paid individuals and suggested the information might already be in the public domain.
The internal review, conducted by a staff member not involved in the original decision, overturned the initial refusal. It confirmed that the roles in question were the Commission’s Executive Directors (grade 16) and the CEO (grade 17). Crucially, it acknowledged that their salary bands are published annually on the UKGC website within its Remuneration Report.
Instead of the privacy exemption, the UKGC then applied Section 21 of the FOIA, which covers information that is already accessible to the public by other means.
What the Data Reveals
The documents released through the FOI process show a detailed hierarchy of roles, from administrative positions to compliance managers and senior leadership. The pay scale document details salary bands up to grade 15, which tops out at £95,555.
While not included in the direct FOI response, the Commission’s most recent Annual Report confirms the pay for the roles it initially withheld:
- CEO (Grade 17): The salary band for 2022-2023 was £155,000 - £160,000.
- Executive Directors (Grade 16): Salary bands typically range from £115,000 to over £130,000, depending on the specific role.
This incident highlights the effectiveness of the FOI process in holding public bodies to account. While the information was eventually confirmed to be public, it was only after the UKGC's initial decision to withhold it was challenged, raising questions about the regulator's internal processes for handling transparency requests.