I am ready to be your neighbor, just need to get me a city job first!

LONDON (Reuters) - How much does it cost to change a light bulb? -- "A lot" is the answer if you are a taxpayer in Birmingham. Over 90,000 pounds in fact.

A furious row has erupted over the news that a council street and traffic lights engineer received 91,000 pounds for 2005/2006 including overtime bonuses -- even though he was off sick.

The average pay in Britain is about 23,000 pounds a year.

Birmingham City Council's Alan Rudge said he intended to stamp out the practice of workers getting bloated pay packets.

"This is a throwback to employment practice which is outdated and we cannot just stand still," he added in a statement.

Christine Melsom of the Is It Fair? campaign group, which wants to scrap the current council tax system, said she feared the problem might be endemic among local authorities.

"I really think this is probably just the tip of the iceberg," she told BBC radio. "How many more are there in other councils across the country?"

Earlier this month, Birmingham council came under fire when news leaked that some road workers -- whose job was to paint white lines on the city's streets -- earned 1,000 pounds a week.