The army of employees at councils across Oxfordshire is growing, new figures show.

The headcount at Oxford City Council alone has risen by 19 per cent in 10 years, with staff numbers now within touching distance of 2002 levels when 75 employees were made redundant because of spiralling numbers.

In 1998, the city employed 1,430 staff. Figures show the council has slightly reduced staffing levels over the past two years, but there are now 1,700 individuals employed by the authority.

The Town Hall's wage bill is about £45m.

The picture is similar at Oxfordshire County Council - the biggest employer in the county - where the staff headcount has risen by a third between 1997 and 2008.

In 1997, the council had 15,947 staff on its payroll, but in March this year the figure had risen 34 per cent to 21,375.

Last night, the authority said the number of employees outside the education system had fallen since 2005, when the current Conservative administration took control of County Hall.

Former Oxford Lord Mayor John Power, who obtained the figures using the Freedom of Information Act, said: "Statistically, after three years of targeted efficiency savings, we have an additional 1,844 members of staff at County Hall (2005-2008) - in short, 600+ new posts every year.

"What do we get in return? Ever-increasing council tax bills, having to pay to park in our own streets, our middle schools closed and the sites sold to property developers, our elderly persons homes closed and educational standards in our schools failing. If this goes on, a new County Hall will have to be built to accommodate this burgeoning army."

But county councillor John Howell, cabinet member for change management, said: "Overall rises are wholly attributable to large increases in schools staff, at the behest of central Government.

"Indeed, central Government has paid for these extra people, not the local taxpayer.

"This situation has been replicated all over the country.

"Accusations the number of people employed by the county council has risen are therefore monumental drivel. The cabinet is not able to control school staffing numbers (and) has very closely monitored staff numbers as part of rigorous control of employee levels."

The Oxford Mail asked each district council in Oxfordshire to provide figures for the number of staff employed each year between 1997 and 2008, but some could only provide recent staffing levels.

Cherwell District Council's headcount has increased by 4.1 per cent in 11 years, but numbers at the Vale of the White Horse have dropped by 35 per cent between 2003 and 2008. Numbers at West Oxfordshire decreased by 18.6 per cent (2008 to 2002), while the number of employees at South Oxfordshire fell by 2.4 per cent between 1997 and 2008.

A city council spokesman said: "There has been no significant increase in staffing levels since 2001. However, between 1998 and 2007/08, the total number of employees at the council has seen an increase of 19 per cent.

"During this period, the council has extended its services including recycling, crime work and street wardens.

"In the cases of crime work and street wardens, these services have been supported by external funding."