A RECOMMENDATION that allowances for members of Tavistock Town Council should be increased by 50% was overturned during a meeting last week.

The town's finance committee had proposed that members' allowances should be increased from £200 per annum to £300, in line with a recent recommendation from an independent review panel. It also proposed that £500 should be paid to the mayor and chairmen of the council's three main committees.

But Cllr Philip Sanders last week slammed the recommendation.

During a meeting of the full council, Cllr Sanders said he was 'taken aback' at the idea.

He said the council's staff were getting no pay increase this year and he could not understand how members could accept a 50% increase in their allowances, claiming it would be 'a huge own goal' to do so.

'In this current economic climate, I don't think we could do it and hold our heads up in the street — at this precise moment in time, I would move we don't make any changes,' he said.

Cllr Jenny Metcalf agreed, saying she felt the increase was 'rather tactless'.

Cllr Brian Trew said he did not feel councillors should be paid any allowances at all — a view which was backed by Cllr Ted Sherrell, who felt the only members who should be given an allowance were the mayor and deputy mayor.

Cllr Sherrell predicted a 'financial whirlwind' would follow the General Election, and a subsequent 'hatchet job' regarding public finances — to accept a 50% increase in allowances would be inflammatory to the public, he said.

Cllr Anne Johnson said the basic £200 allowance was to cover telephone calls, stamps and other expenses incurred by councillors during the course of their work for the community.

Cllr Johnson said: 'Our costs need to be covered — I wouldn't want to exclude people from being able to stand for the council.'

Cllr Harry Smith said the finance committee had backed 'the very lowest' figure suggested by the remuneration panel.

He said: 'I would be very disappointed if anybody who wanted to stand for council felt they couldn't because they couldn't afford it. We could certainly do with as many younger members on the council as possible.'

The council backed Cllr Sander's proposal that there should be no change to members' allowances, and no additional allowances should be paid to its committee chairmen by eleven votes to two.