New figures show 12 Bristol Uni staff are paid more than the Prime Minister

According to The Bristol Post, Hugh Brady, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, brought in a pay package of £323,000 last year.

He is among 120 other UoB staff whose annual pay exceeds £100,000 per annum.

Twelve of these earned more than the Prime Minister, whose yearly salary is currently £150,402.

Bristol University's chancellor earnt twice as much as the PM last year

UWE’s Vice-Chancellor, Steven West, meanwhile has a salary of £315,000, despite UWE being far below Bristol in the rankings.

However UWE does have far fewer highly paid staff than Bristol with only two staff earning more than Theresa May.

Asked to justify these salaries, UWE and Bristol replied that in a competitive market, it is essential to offer ‘a competitive remuneration package’ so as to attract talent to Bristol’s universities.

UWE's chancellor earns £8,000 less than his Bristol counterpart

For most people, the process of allocating salaries is a complete mystery. Decisions over executive pay are made by independent committees whose minutes are rarely publicized.

The numbers speak for themselves. At a time when students are leaving uni with up to £57,000 in debt, it is important to consider who we are trusting to run our institutions, and why their salaries are as high as they are.