Around 5,000 people who earn more than £100,000 a year are living in a council house, according to new figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

The figures, published in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday, show that wealthy professionals are benefiting from taxpayer-funded council rents worth up to £4,200 a year each.

There are up to 8,000 people living in a council house while earning more than £80,000 a year, and up to 21,000 people earning more than £60,000 a year...