ALLOWANCES paid to Wyre Forest district councillors will be higher than the figure recommended by an independent panel and of other councils in Worcestershire for the second year in a row.

At a meeting last night, the majority of councillors voted to keep basic allowances at £4,900 for 2012/13 - £700 higher than the £4,200 figure recommended by the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP).

The IRP said the current allowances were “out of line with comparable district councils”.

The scheme sees council leader, Conservative John Campion’s allowance remain at £12,250 - £1,750 more than the IRP recommended figure of £10,500.

Deputy Leader, Conservative Marcus Hart’s allowance will stay at £9,188, despite the IRP recommending it be £7,560.

Cabinet members will receive £7,983 each, higher than the IRP recommended £6,300.

Mr Campion said the IRP’s recommendations had not taken into account moves made by the council including reducing the size of cabinet from six members to five.

He said: “The IRP have not done what they have said they were going to do. They said they would look at group leader and deputy leader allowances they havn’t done it again.”

Conservative proposals were criticised by Labour councillors who labelled the move “hypocritical”.

Labour councillor Chris Nicholls said: “Every time the administration gets independent advice they turn their noses up.

“They say they want to help the taxpayers, then they vote to put money in their own pockets.”

Labour councillor Jamie Shaw added: “This will not hold local democracy in the district in high regard.”

Mr Campion said, however, all councillors had drawn their full allowances in 2011.

Labour councillor Howard Martin said he would give away the difference between his basic allowance and the IRP recommended figure.

Independent councillor Helen Dyke also said many councillors gave away parts of their allowances.

Independent and Community Health Concern councillor Nigel Thomas said councillors did not have to take the full amount.

In its 2012-13 report released in January, the IRP criticised the district council for only cutting its basic allowances from £4,992 to £4,900 in 2011 instead of the recommended £4,200.

The IRP said it was “so concerned” that it had referred the move to the council’s external auditor Liz Cave.

Liberal councillor Fran Oborski said it had been a mistake to get involved in an IRP which looked at all the districts in Worcestershire.

She said: “We should go back to an IRP based on Wyre Forest.”