CONSERVATIVE leaders in Worcester have come under fire for giving themselves a pay rise while voting down plans to help disabled people.

The Conservative leadership of Worcestershire County Council voted for senior councillors to receive a pay rise of between 8 to 10 per cent after following a recommendation by an independent panel.

This would mean the allowance for the leader of the council would rise to £34,182 (up from £31,075) on top of the basic allowance of £8,716.

The allowance would rise to £18,150 for Worcestershire's deputy leader. The rises will come into force from September 1 this year.

As a result the leader of the council, Simon Geraghty, will earn more than leaders in Cambridgeshire, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, North Yorkshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire and Warwickshire.

The raise also makes Worcestershire above average for every role apart from the basic allowance.

At £8,716 the basic allowance in Worcestershire is lower than on many other counties including Shropshire (£11,514) and Somerset (£10,582).

The council leader, Simon Geraghty, says there has been a pay freeze in Worcestershire for the last nine years and that the work of senior councillors has become increasingly demanding and must be viewed in that context.

At a meeting of full council this month, all Conservative county councillors voted to give the leader, deputy leader, cabinet members and committee chairs the raise whilst other councillors received a small cut.

Critics say the county council now has some of the highest paid senior roles when compared to other counties.

A spokesperson for the Green Party said: "Just chairing a committee can give you £10,000 extra on top of the basic allowance. For the leader, it is over £34,000 extra.

"The supposed justification for these increases is because their workload has increased - the same reasoning does not apparently apply to all the council staff."

Later in the same meeting, Councillor Matthew Jenkins' motion offering a small discount to disabled people requesting a dropped kerb was voted down by Conservatives.

Cllr Jenkins said the main reason given was that the county council does not have enough money.

Cllr Jenkins said: “I was shocked at the hypocrisy of the Conservatives giving pay rises to all senior positions at the council, all bar one of which are held by Conservatives, whilst at the same time stating that there were insufficient funds to provide a small discount for disabled people who wanted to install a dropped kerb to help access their homes.

"We have some of the best paid cabinet members and committee chairs when compared to other councils, yet are told that in an age of austerity we cannot afford to fund vital services properly.

“The Conservatives claimed that as these proposals were based on an independent review, they had to support it. Yet the review panel’s report itself stated that these were merely recommendations."

Cllr Simon Geraghty, leader of Worcestershire County Council, said: "The council has an Independent Remuneration Panel to make recommendations on allowances for all elected members.

"The public is represented on the panel as is the voluntary and community sector and the panel is chaired by Professor Michael Clarke, a former Vice Principal at the University of Birmingham.

"The panel conducted a thorough review of all allowances this year – the most in-depth review for many years.

"Allowances for those with significant responsibilities have not increased for nine years here in Worcestershire.

"Therefore the increase has to be set in the context of those allowances being frozen every year since 2008.

"The demands that we make of our elected members from all parties have increased in recent years and that's why the council has decided to accept the recommendations set out in the Independent Remuneration Panel's report this year."