CHRIS GALLACHER (HAS, April 18) is mistaken in thinking that Sunderland’s former chief executive, Dave Smith, earned “something in the order of £650,000 per annum.”

Though arguably excessive, the figure of £625,570 was a one-off payment made when Mr Smith resigned in August 2015. It included a “golden handshake” and a pension contribution on top of his annual salary of £108,686.

John Merry (HAS, April 13) thinks Council CEOs would earn less in the private sector, but the average pay for a FTSE100 CEO is £5.5 million.

Sharon Griffiths (Echo 14 April) suggests this is a different matter, because private sector bosses are paid from company profits, not from council taxes.

But where do those profits come from? The cash you hand over at the till in Tesco contributes to the £4.6m paid to Tesco’s CEO last year. Barclay’s customers contribute to CEO Jes Staley’s annual pay of £4.2m, though he’s going to have to scrape by on a mere £3.2m this year, as his pay has been docked by £1m for misconduct.

I do not condone excessive salaries in the private or the public sector, but we should get the facts right.

I also think it is important to distinguish between council officers (who are employees of the council) and elected councillors. Durham County Councillors (of all parties, not just Labour!) are paid a basic allowance of £13,300 a year. Some receive additional payments for extra responsibilities, ranging from £182 for minor responsibilities to £36,575 for the Council Leader.

Adequate remuneration for councillors ensures that ordinary people can afford to become councillors, rather than only those with plenty of money and time on their hands.

Pete Winstanley, Durham