Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps has reacted to new research that shows many Housing Association Chief Executives are raking in six figure salaries.

An investigation by Inside Housing magazine has revealed that top salaries leapt by 7% as repossessions soared and housing waiting lists rocketed.

Housing Associations are usually registered charities and are largely funded by taxpayer money for the building of affordable housing for rent.

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Mr Shapps has called on bosses to "get back in the real world".

"Housing Associations do great work helping to house some of the most vulnerable people in our society," he said, "but the revelation that ten bosses of these registered housing charities earn far more than the Prime Minister will shock families facing housing misery.

"In these tough economic times everyone has a responsibility to show that public money is being wisely spent and I think that, on reflection, these social Housing bosses will want to ask themselves whether these big pay packets are justified in these increasingly austere times."

(CD/GK)