Some university bosses received pay increases of more than 100 per cent last year, it has been revealed.

Former Open University vice-chancellor Sir John Daniel earned the most, with his pay more than doubling to £309,000.

Forum Response: London Business School

A spokesman for the London Business School told ePolitix.com: "London Business School is competing in the global market, not only for students, but also for faculty. We therefore apply globally competitive conditions of service and renumeration to attract the best students and the best faculty - including our Dean."

Forum Response: Universities UK

Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, told ePolitix.com: "Vice-chancellors' pay is a matter for individual universities. But, clearly, universities will wish the salaries of their vice-chancellors to reflect the fact that they are successfully running multi-million pound businesses."

Forum Response: Association of University Teachers

Sally Hunt, assistant general secretary of the AUT, told ePolitix.com: "Yet again we have seen the fat cat mentality of university vice-chancellors triumph over prudent and efficient management.

"It will be difficult for vice-chancellors to sustain the argument that lecturers and other university staff cannot have a decent pay increase this year when they have presided over such a large boost for themselves.

"The total pay increases for vice-chancellors this year is the equivalent of nearly one thousand new lecturers. During a period of under-funding and cutbacks staff and students will be left bewildered by the insensitivity of vice-chancellors in this latest pay award."

Forum Response: Natfhe

Paul Mackney, general secretary of Natfhe, told ePolitix.com: "It is amazing that vice chancellors can live with awarding themselves three times as much as they are willing to offer to their staff. What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander. We'll hope that they'll be compelled to close the gap between their pay and that of their staff in the next pay round.

"The way VCs' pay is decided is shrouded in secrecy. It is public money going into their hugely inflated pay packets, and the public has the right to know on what basis it's being spent. There is no reason why universities shouldn't be run on the strictest Nolan principles of openness and accountability."