THE number of council officers in Ealing earning more than £50,000 a year has tripled in the past two years.

A total of 202 council employees now earn more than £50,000 and the number of council officers earning more than £100,000 a year has increased from one to seven.

The highest-paid officer was given a 30 per cent increase in salary, earning between £180,000 and £189,100 in the 2004/05 financial period.

The salary details were revealed to Ealing's Council's Cabinet last week but the Conservative party are now questioning why so many officers were given a pay rise at a time when the council was downgraded from a "fair" to a "weak" status.

Cllr Barbara Yerolemou, Conservative finance and human resources spokes-man, said: "It is worth paying good money to officers who can lift the performance of the council and offer value for money to residents.

"But over the past two years we have seen the council downgraded by the Audit Commission from fair to weak and Social Services officially recognised as the worst performing department in London.

"Meanwhile, council tax has risen at one of the fastest rates of any London authority and residents would be right to question how these pay increases can be justified.

"It is particularly surprising to see that Labour must have agreed to the highest paid officer of the council receiving a £60,000 pay increase over two very difficult years where performance actually went backwards."

The number of complaints received by the council rose by almost 50 per cent during the first half of the year.

But the council is remaining tight-lipped on the pay rises.

They pointed out that council officers' salaries are determined on a national level and not by the council itself locally.

A council spokesperson said: "The CPA rating is an assessment of the council as a whole and not just one person or certain individuals.

"Local government salaries are determined by national negotiations and by comparing equivalent positions in the market."