CASH conscious district councillors have voted to cut some of their allowances, despite an independent panel urging them to pay themselves more.

Currently, all members of West Somerset receive a basic allowance of £2,733 a year, with additional special responsibility payments of between £10,932, £6,832, £5,466 and £1,366 for the leader, cabinet members and committee chairmen.

An independent remuneration panel wanted councillors to vote themselves a £190 basic allowance increase spread over the next four years and funded by cutting the special responsibility payments.

But while a few councillors, including Watchet’s Rosemary Woods, agreed with the panel and voted to up the basic allowance, the vast majority said they could not support the recommendation with the authority facing ongoing financial uncertainty.

At last Wednesday’s full council meeting, Cllr Woods argued that a higher basic allowance was vital to attract more people into local government.

But Cllr Bryan Leaker said it was not right to take more money when council staff and local residents were subject to pay freezes or below inflation wage increases.

“I don’t think we, as councillors, are in this for the money.

“We need to consider the effect this recommendation may have on our communities – we can not take extra money,” he said.

Cllr Keith Turner proposed freezing the basic allowance but going ahead with a five per cent reduction in special responsibility allowances.

He said the money saved should be put directly into the council’s general fund to help the authority set a balanced budget.

“I agree, what councillors get paid is a derisory amount but we are one of the smallest councils in the country and we don’t have much in the pot.

“We’re trying to save what we can rather than having to cut something else out of the budget that we might not want to cut.

“Here is a chance to save £4,000 or £5,000,” Cllr Turner said.

Cllr Karen Mills said the authority had frozen the basic allowances and special responsibility payments three years ago due to the financial difficulties faced by the authority at that time.

Cllr Sue Goss said: “It would be sending out totally the wrong message if we took an increase now.”

The council is currently trying to find more than £560,000 in savings to try and balance its books in the next financial year with the budget gap predicted to increase year on year in the face of decreasing Government support.