TOWN Hall chiefs have refuted figures that claim local authorities are “full of overpaid staff” after the publication of figures showing how many officers were paid more than £150,000.

Figures released by the Taxpayers’ Alliance are described as outdated after it showed the director of development and regeneration earned £155,928, a post which no longer exists.

The council said that millions have been saved over the years by making savings in “top management” with the chief executive being the only officer earning more than £150,000.

According to the figures, in 2014, Bolton Council had three officers earning more than £150,000. They were the chief executive on £208,531, director of children and adult services on £168,172 and director of development and regeneration on £154,333.

Now only the council’s top officer is paid more than £150,000.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “We completely reject the Taxpayers’ Alliance claim that councils are full of overpaid staff. The council has a budget of over £600m a year and runs hundreds of different services, so needs to employ highly qualified, skilled staff and pay them accordingly.

“However, as part of our savings, we have reduced the number of senior staff we employ, as well as making savings from services across the council. We only employ one member of staff with a remuneration of over £150k and the number of assistant directors and directors has also reduced from 34 in 2008 to 13.

“The council has saved at least £2m by making these savings in top management.”

This is the tenth consecutive year, the Taxpayers’ Alliance has compiled a list of local authority employees in Great Britain whose total annual remuneration exceeds £100,000.

This year’s ‘Town Hall Rich List’ covers the 2015-16 financial year, which it says is the most recent full year for which data is available. The alliance said its list shows that many local authorities increased the amount they spent on senior management in 2015-16.