Council pay 'lacks transparency'

The report said Council leader Ken Thornber should have a pay increase

Allowance payments to Hampshire county councillors are not value for money or transparent, a watchdog claims.

The Hampshire County Council Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) report said the lack of accountability and transparency was "indefensible".

Salaries are put on the council website but councillors often boost their incomes by sitting on other bodies and overall figures are not made public.

The three main parties have criticised the "inflammatory" report.

The report states the "members' allowances scheme does not represent value for money for the Hampshire council tax payer".

It is my intention to introduce an attendance record Councillor Ken Thornber

In many cases, councillors earn thousands of pounds more from sitting on other bodies such as local councils or police authorities but the total amount of taxpayers' money paid to councillors is not published by Hampshire County Council.

According to the IRP the top-earner is Lymington Councillor Melville Kendal, who receives a total of £51,221 - about £10,000 more than the leader of the council Councillor Ken Thornber.

However on the Hampshire County Council website it says Mr Kendal only receives £28,312 - omitting the extra income he gains from sitting on a district council.

The IRP wants the total payments made to individuals from public money to be clearly displayed - along with records of attendance at meetings.

Responding to the report, the Conservative Leader of Hampshire County Council Ken Thornber told the BBC in a statement the amount each councillor receives, including allowances and expenses, is put on the council website.

'Baffling and inflammatory'

But he admitted the overall amount of public money paid to councillors was not published.

He said: "Any other responsibilities that a member may have with other public bodies will be accounted for in that organisation's records.

"It is my intention to introduce an attendance record and to reduce members' allowances by the same proportion as their absences."

The report, which did recommend pay rises for some council members including the leader Mr Thornber, was heavily criticised by all the main parties.

Councillor Brian Dash, Deputy Lib Dem Group leader, described it as baffling, while councillor Jo Kelly, Leader of the Labour Group, said she was "amazed by the inflammatory style and subjective nature of this report".