The highest earning officers are set to bag an extra £52 per week from April as part of a three-year pay deal – and that has sparked a political row.

Labour leader Alex Rowley said the increases ''beggared belief'' and called for restraint.

But the ruling SNP/Lib Dem administration condemned him for putting officers under pressure to hand back the cash.

The row blew up as the Council passed budget cuts of £13.6m which will impact on schools, social work and a range of services.

The officers' pay deals are separate and formed part of a previously agreed three year agreement which will see them get around an extra £52 per week from April.

Councillor Rowley believes they should show restraint in light of the budget and forgo the third year of a 2.5 per cent wage increase.

He hit out: "It is incredible that on the same day as the community alarm charge rises by 50 per cent, executive directors working for Fife Council will get a pay rise of £52 a week while 650 vulnerable people will lose an annual deep clean service in order to save £25,000.

"It just beggars belief."

The Labour group also called for a three year pay freeze for the top earners at the Council's budget meeting last Thursday.

Elizabeth Riches, deputy leader of the Council and HR spokesman, said the local authority remained part of the national collective bargaining system for employee pay and conditions.

She added: "Council chief officers, teachers, police officers and police staff are all part way through long term pay agreements so that their pay awards for financial year 2010-11 has already been agreed.

"A pay freeze for everybody on over £50,000 per year, as suggested by Councillor Rowley, would affect 53 chief officers, 141 teachers and 37 police officers and staff whose pay awards have already been agreed, as well as 41 single status employees and up to 11 fire fighters.

"Seeking to reopen pay negotiations that have already been finalised would mean Fife Council taking a unilateral decision to opt out of at least three different collective bargaining arrangements.

"This would seriously undermine the good relations we have built up with the trade unions. I have no intention of asking the Council to embark on such a divisive and pointless exercise."

Leader of the Council Peter Grant added that the local authority's payroll system is highly automated, making it difficult to pay a lower rate to individual officers.

However, if any officer wished to refuse the increase, the Council could co-operate.

Cllr Grant said: "A simpler option would be for the officer simply to Gift Aid an equivalent sum to a charity of their choice. This is entirely a matter for individual officers.

"It is wrong to seek to pressurise officers into taking such a decision simply as a way of scoring political points."

In the past 16 months the Council has reduced the total salary bill for chief officers by £420,000 with a net reduction of eight posts.