Bonuses of more than £100,000 were paid to Kent County Council's top officers last year, we can exclusively reveal.

The council has confirmed its highest paid officials, including chief executive Peter Gilroy, together received £102,247 in bonuses in 2007-2008, on top of their six figure salaries.

That equates to an average of £14,000 each, more than is earned in a year by the lowest-paid staff in KCC's pay scheme.

The details of the bonuses, released to the KM Group under the Freedom of Information Act, are likely to fuel a continuing political row over town hall "fat cat" pay.

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The eight-strong chief officers group, all of whom earn in excess of £100,000 a year, could also receive bonuses for 2008-2009. These have yet to be determined.

It has also emerged that an unspecified number of other senior managers at KCC received bonuses of £100,485 last year.

KCC has refused to name any of the individuals and how much they received, even though the identities of the chief officers are widely available. It claimed to do so would breach the Data Protection Act.

Unions representing thousands of lower paid staff at County Hall are balloting over industrial action in protest at a one per cent pay award.

They say they were unaware top officers were entitled to bonuses.

County council Conservative leader Cllr Paul Carter defended the bonuses, saying the authority's top officers were unable to qualify for the same rewards package available to other employees, who could be promoted and be paid more.

~Listen: David Lloyd of Unison describes the news of council chiefs' bonuses as 'quite shocking'>>>

He said: "As an excellent authority, we need to pay the right salaries to recruit and retain the best people possible. However it is worth noting that there is no progression for senior officers, unlike all other employees who have a grade range, and have the opportunity to progress through their grade as well as receive a cost of living rise. Senior officers receive 'clean pay' and do not have the additional benefits others receive."

But that cut little ice with opposition Labour leader Cllr Mike Eddy. He said he was shocked and called on the council to justify the payments.

"If our chief officers are being paid bonuses on the basis of whether they are doing a good job, we ought to be entitled to know who gets them and how much they get. People will be shocked by these figures and council taxpayers in Kent have every right to know more details," he said.

The revelation is likely to anger union leaders, who say many of their members are on the lowest salary scales.

In an attempt to defuse concern over the KCC pay award, council chief executive Peter Gilroy recently told staff that chief officers would not be taking any bonuses next year.