The number of town hall “fat cats” raking in more than £100,000 has soared by a quarter – as families face further hikes in council tax, new figures reveal today.

Some 818 local authority bosses crested the pay threshold last year, compared to 645 in 2005-6. Top earner in Shropshire was county council chief executive Carolyn Downs with a salary of more than £146,000.

But this still lags behind the nearly £158,000 paid in 2005-06 by Telford & Wrekin Council to its former chief Michael Frater.

Its current boss Steve Wellings, who was appointed in November 2006, is listed as having earned £129,597 last year.

Fourteen officers nationally earned more than the Prime Minister’s £188,000 annual salary, while six received more than £200,000 from the public purse, according to the figures.

The best paid was Northamptonshire’s chief executive Peter Gould, who scooped a whopping £215,000 in 2006-7. He retired last May.

The figures – compiled by pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance – are bound to cause fury at a time when consumers are feeling the pinch from an economic downturn and rising living costs.

Government data published this week revealed that council tax bills are set to rise by four per cent this year, although across most of Shropshire the figure is even higher. Inflation is currently running at 2.5 per cent.

Other Shropshire County Council big earners last year were former social care director Jack Collier (£110,232), children and young people’s services director Liz Nicholson (£112,719), finance chief Laura Rowley (£110,771) and economy and environment director Penny Spencer (£105,400).

Telford & Wrekin’s director of environment and regeneration Meredith Evans was paid £11,955.

Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council refused to give figures to the Taxpayers’ Alliance but when its former chief executive Robin Hooper was in the process of leaving his position last year it was reported that he could receive about two years’ salary – thought to be worth about £233,642 – to go early.

No member of staff in the four districts and boroughs of Oswestry, North Shropshire, Bridgnorth and South Shropshire earned more than £100,000.

County Council leader Malcolm Pate said: “Running a council is a complex business, dealing with multi-million pound budgets, and a suitable salary must be paid to attract and keep the best and brightest people for the job.”

WHAT THEY EARNED

• Michael Frater, former chief executive Telford and Wrekin £157,885 (2005-06).
• Carolyn Downs, chief executive Shropshire County Council £146,250.
• Steve Wellings, chief executive Telford & Wrekin £129,597.
• Robin Hooper, former chief executive Shrewsbury and Atcham, not disclosed.

By Dave Morris