Charities must disclose in their accounts the number of staff paid over £60,000, in bands, along with total staff costs and key management personnel remuneration. So the information is public even where individual names are not.
Judging it fairly means comparing like with like. Running a £200m charity with thousands of staff and regulated services requires senior finance and operational expertise that the labour market prices accordingly; underpaying can cost far more through poor decisions than it saves in salary. Equally, a large salary at a small charity with volunteer-delivered services deserves a question.
Useful test: is pay proportionate to scale and complexity, and does the trustees’ annual report explain how it is set? Silence on a striking figure is itself informative.