A row has broken out between the Labour administration and opposition in Hammersmith & Fulham over pay and funding.

The Conservatives have accused the Labour-run council of showing "contempt" to residents by increasing the number of members on the Cabinet to 11, with the Cabinet budget subsequently rising. It numbered just eight under the Tory administration, which was kicked out in May 2014.

But Labour has hit back, saying it is embarking on a large and ambitious programme, and that the new position of Commercial Revenue & Resident Satisfaction will bring in far more money to the council than it costs.

Cllr Max Schmid, head of finance at the council, highlighted years of austerity cuts under Prime Minister David Cameron, and also accused the Conservatives of hypocrisy.

Cllr Smith was speaking after a Labour AGM voted to increase Cabinet positions from nine to 10, along with a chief whip.

He said: “Labour councillors in Hammersmith & Fulham have confirmed their party’s contempt for residents by dipping into taxpayers’ pockets for a whopping pay increase.

“To put that in perspective, Hammersmith & Fulham Council now has a Cabinet bigger than the City of Birmingham, despite the fact [it] has a population of 182,000 compared to Birmingham’s million.

“They have also added a cabinet member for Commercial Revenue & Resident Satisfaction. How on earth is this a distinct role?”

Cllr Schmid defended the move, saying the new position would allow H&F to focus on making and saving money, to the benefit of residents.

"We inherited a £71m budget gap from the borough's former Conservative administration and we're now in the sixth year of the Conservative government's austerity cuts to our budget," he said. "This new job is about raising commercial revenue so we can keep council tax low and protect important services.

"Labour councillors took an unprecedented 10% cut in special responsibility allowances (our pay) last year and froze our pay this year, which is in stark contrast to the 18% pay rise Conservative councillors voted to give themselves in their first year in office n 2006.

"Additionally, the new Labour administration agreed its councillors would refuse all gifts and hospitality from developers, which is also in stark contrast to the Conservatives who enjoyed free meals and free tickets to polo matches, tennis tournaments, the Proms and football - all paid for by some of the most controversial developers in the borough.

“We are coming in with a huge and ambitious manifesto of things to do and we are trying to get the right fit of people with skills, to get them into cabinet to push things forward.

“We have the same number as Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea, it’s not an unusual size.”