Ministers this week claimed a reported 13% single-year increase in the number of senior council staff earning more than £100,000 a year could be attributed to pay policies overseen by the former Labour Government.

In its annual Town Hall Rich List of local authority remuneration, the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) found the number of council employees earning six-figure salaries soared from 2,696 in 2009/10 to 3,097 by 2010/11. A further 1,146 staff would have received total remuneration above the £100,000 mark, if pensions contributions were included, the researchers claimed.