The main opposition groups on Bradford Council have pledged to vote against the salaries given to the authority’s high-earners, including the chief executive who earns more than the Prime Minister.

Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have criticised the wage packet handed to Tony Reeves, the Council’s highest-paid employee, who earns £178,476 a year.

In comparison, David Cameron is on a wage of £142,500.

The figures have been released as the full Council prepares to vote on the salary levels of its top directors.

They reveal Mr Reeves earns nine times more than the average council worker, who gets £19,126.

The Council’s lowest-paid workers are on £12,145 a year, or £6.29 per hour – only 10p over the hourly minimum wage.

The salary levels of the chief executive and his top directors now have to be approved each year by the full Council, under new Government rules for local authorities.

The figures then have to be published on the Council’s website.

Councillor Glen Miller, leader of the Council’s Conservative group, welcomed the new accountability rules.

He said the figures showed the “vast disparity” between the highest and lowest-paid workers and said the post of chief executive was unnecessary.

He said: “I struggle when someone running the country is paid ‘x’ and our chief executive is paid ‘y’, and ‘y’ is bigger than ‘x’. In our budget last year if we had taken control, we would have removed the post of chief executive.

“We don’t believe you need a chief executive and a Council leader.”

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said her party also objected to the salary levels of the chief executive and other Council directors, and would be voting against them.

She said: “People are having to cut back, people are having their services cut and I think it’s time we changed that level of pay as well.

“It’s nothing personal, it’s a point of principle. They do have big responsibilities.”

Mr Reeves became chief executive in September 2006 on a salary of about £170,000. The accountability rules in the new Localism Act also state that in future, the full Council must be given an opportunity to vote on salary packages of more than £100,000 when new appointments are made, and also when severance packages of £100,000 or more are considered. Council officers have recommended that the full Council approve the salary levels at their next meeting, on Tuesday.