The leader of Dudley Council has hit back at claims made by the UK Independence Party that he has received annual pay rises totaling nearly 15% over the last two years.

Speaking on Black Country Radio's Black Country Week show on Saturday, Councillor Pete Lowe defended himself from the allegations by UKIP councillor Paul Brothwood, who called the pay rises "unjustified".

The claims, made live on-air, prompted the council leader to contact the show to refute them, later leading to a heated Twitter exchange between Councillor Lowe and UKIP's Councillor Dean Perks.

Councillor Lowe says that the leader's allowance has only risen by 3.2% over the last 7 years.

He told the show that the leader's allowance, known as a 'special responsibility allowance', was set at £23,250 in 2010 and has only increased by £749 since then, in line with the recommendations of an independent panel which caps any increases.

Councillor Lowe then claimed that he had claimed less in expenses in 10 years as a councillor than Bill Etheridge, UKIP's Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands, claims in 10 days.

"Yet again the facts show UKIP have deliberately misled the good people of Dudley," Councillor Lowe said in a statement.

"Rather than the leader's allowance going up by fifteen per cent over three years, the facts demonstrate that they only went up by 3.2% over seven years and [have increased] by nothing since I assumed the leadership, totally consistent with my statement that it has gone up in line with the public sector workers who work for us.

"Over the same period, Bill Etheridge not only claims his Councillor allowance despite rarely turning up to community forum meetings, he claims a lucrative MEP salary and employs two UKIP Councillors, as well as his new partner.

"Whilst my allowance is fully open, transparent and open, rightly to scrutiny, Bill Etheridge and his Councillor staff’s public money appears shrouded in secrecy.

"I call upon Councillor Perks and Councillor Brothwood to make public their salary together with any expenses claimed together with Bill Etheridge making clear what he has picked up in public money.

"I suspect he will have claimed more in 10 days working as a MEP in expenses than I have claimed in over 10 years as a Councillor on Dudley borough.

"I would ask for an apology but I have long since given up on UKIP acting in a responsible manner."

However, Councillor Brothwood provided figures to Black Country Radio which he says show that in the last couple of years, Dudley have "pushed through pay rises for Pete Lowe of some fifteen per cent".

He claimed that the position of leader of Dudley Council attracted a special responsibility allowance of £20,900 in 2012/13, increasing to £23,483 in 2013/14 and £23,999 in 2014/15. The figures were based on recent research by the Tax Payers' Alliance (TPA), which listed the allowances of leaders in local authorities across the country.

But figures provided to Black Country Radio by Councillor Lowe contradict the figures quoted by the TPA, saying that the allowance for 2012/13 was £23,250, and not £20,900, resulting in his claim that the percentage increase in the last three years has been much less than that stated by UKIP.

Councillor Lowe became leader of Dudley Council in December 2014 and had previously held the position of Deputy Leader and Finance Lead, which have a lower special responsibility allowance.

Since being elected to Dudley Council, UKIP councillors have refused any increases to their allowance - instead it has been given to the community forums.