DAVID Cameron is said to have handed some of his special advisers a bumper pay rise just months before they were given generous severance packages.
The former Prime Minister upped the salary of some of his aides, known as ‘spads’, by as much as £18,000, or up to 24%, it has been reported
Trade unions and taxpayer groups said the increases are "shameful" at a time when Government departments have faced cuts.
The double digit hike, ordered despite pay being capped at just 1% across the public sector, were uncovered in analysis by Civil Service World.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, said: "It would seem hypocrisy knows no bounds from a prime minister who preached pay restraint and austerity to public servants and the public, whilst at the same time awarding double-digit pay rises to his special advisers."
Speaking to Civil Service World, he added: "It will be a further body blow to the morale of thousands of hard-working civil servants to learn that the very same special advisers who received enhanced redundancy terms from the outgoing prime minister also received pay rises of up to 24% in one year."
John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Taxpayers will be shocked at the size of these increases at a time of necessary spending restraint.
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"While spads can help ministers implement their decisions it's important to strike a balance and deliver value for taxpayers.
“Politicians talk about bringing down the cost of politics but it's important to follow it up with action."
The revelations come just a month after it emerged that Mr Cameron overruled strongly worded civil service advice and boosted the golden goodbyes he gave his special advisers.
He ignored concerns raised by civil service chief executive John Manzoni to hand his staff an extra £282,000 in severance pay because of his resignation.
Adam Atashzai, who was also awarded an MBE in Mr Cameron's discredited resignation honours list, saw his salary increase by 24% in 2015. He was .
He was one of seven of the ex-PM’s special advisers re-hired after the General Election who saw their pay rise substantially, according to the report.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, said: "We believe that every civil servant deserves a decent pay rise.
“It is frankly shameful that David Cameron thinks that this should just apply to his close circle of political friends."
A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "Decisions about special adviser salaries take into account various factors including the level of responsibility associated with a particular role and the background and experience of the individual concerned.
"These increases, which were agreed by the then prime minister, reflected changes to the scope and range of responsibility in the roles of a number of special advisers following their reappointment after the 2015 general election."
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