WEST Somerset district councillors ran up a bill of £36,204.54 during the last financial year.

The top claimant was council vice chairman and member for Minehead South, Colin Hill, whose bill came in at £1,977.03.

The majority of his claim was made up by attendance allowance - payments which are given for each meeting a councillor attends, including mileage - as was the case for Anne Cave-Browne-Cave who came in as the second highest claimant with £1,948.

Next was Minehead South member Jean Walker, with £1,817.53, followed by Dulverton and Brushford member, Keith Ross, with £1,805.09.

Council chairman and member for Crowcombe and Stogumber, Viv Brewer, came in next with £1,801.81, followed by West Quantoxhead councillor, Barbara Child, with £1,794.09.

Next in line was Brompton Ralph and Haddon representative, Geoff Day, with a claim for £1,788.11, just ahead of council leader Steven Pugsley with £1,753.35.

Of the current members serving on the district council, Williton member Hugh Davies clocked up the smallest bill by claiming no attendance allowance, just his basic allowance of £249.29.

Quantock Vale councillor Terry Ayre also only claimed his basic allowance, but his was slightly higher than Mr Davies' at £276 as he had been paid for an extra month's work having been a member of the council before last May's election (the financial year runs from April to April).

Claims from other current councillors were: Stan Taylor £1,112.67; Fred Rawle £658.19; Mike Gammon £1,217.27; Jenny David £804.27; Keith Turpin £885.73; David Banks £937.88; Peter Humber £1,299.63; Anne Foxhuntley £1,477.42; Angela Palmer £1,200.18; Jamie Anderson £674.46; Sally De Renzy-Martin £653.72; Pam Driver £467.06; Ivor Gibbon £819.64; Jenny Hill £1,089.26; Christine Lawrence £944.08; Nick Messarra £446.32; Keith Parkes £1,151.48; Simon Stokes £788.53; John Nethercott £778.16; Jean Tillotson £137.91.

Two councillors who resigned during the financial year - George Burnell and Eddie May - claimed £1,133.41 and £540.18 respectively before their departures.

The remainder of the £36,204 bill was made up by a single month's payment to a handful of district councillors who either did not stand again or who lost their seats in last May's local elections.