In 2025, roughly a third of the country's 2,436 municipal politicians had an extra income in the form of what is colloquially called "the municipal legs" - paid positions that politicians are appointed to take care of in addition to their actual city council work. Typically in boards of directors for utilities, ports, joint municipal companies and the like, but also in organizations such as KL.
In 2025, the country's municipal politicians received a total of 62.5 million kroner for this extra work, which is 3.3 million more than the year before, when politicians received 59.2 million.
This is evident from the Gravercentret's latest update of the site "Municipal politicians' duties and remuneration" which can be found at hverv.gravercentret.dk. The information has been collected via access to documents or provided by municipalities and organizations.
Martin, Steen and Jesper
The mayor of Kalundborg, Martin Damm (V), earned the most. In 2025, he received a total of almost one million in addition to his mayoral salary for his three additional positions as chairman of KL, chairman of Kommunekredit and member of the Municipal Remuneration Board.
Number two on the list for 2025 was Albertslund's then mayor Steen Christiansen (S). He had eight additional positions – including a number of positions in various utility companies and KL.
Third place in 2025 went to Jesper Frost Rasmussen (V) from Esbjerg, who with seven additional positions earned 695,810 kroner in addition to the mayor's salary.
It is typically the country's mayors who take on the most lucrative positions, and no ordinary municipal politicians appear on the top ten list.
The ten politicians with the highest remuneration for additional paid positions in 2025:
- Martin Damm (V), Kalundborg, 936,293 kroner.
- Steen Christiansen (S), Albertslund, 876,796 kroner.
- Jesper Frost Rasmussen (V), Esbjerg, 695,810 kr.
- Johannes Lundsfryd Jensen (S), Middelfart, 681,578 kr.
- Peter Rahbæk Juel (S), Odense, 628,264 kr.
- Henrik Rasmussen (K), Vallensbæk, 537,745 kr.
- Michael Ziegler (K), Høje-Taastrup, 533,934 kr.
- Jens Ejner Christensen (V), Vejle, 507,196 kr.
- Erik Flyvholm (V), Lemvig, 483,851 kr.
- Michael Vindfeldt (S), Frederiksberg, 443,788 kr.
Source: Gravercentret
Few women represented
There are some very clear trends that apply when it comes to paid positions.
In addition to the mayors occupying the most lucrative positions, men are overrepresented in relation to women, and politicians from the large classic municipal parties such as the Social Democrats, the Liberals and the Conservatives - perhaps not so surprisingly - contest most of the positions.
Overall, 788 municipal politicians held 1,236 paid positions last year.
76.9 percent of the positions went to men, while women were appointed to less than a quarter (23.1 percent) of the paid positions.
The Social Democrats, the Liberals and the Conservative People's Party together received 78.6 percent of all positions.
As you know, there were municipal elections in November, and therefore the overview does not provide an overview of how the positions are distributed in the new city councils. Among others, Steen Christiansen, Johannes Lundsfryd and Erik Flyvholm, who were in the top ten, are no longer mayors.
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