CONSERVATIVE leaders in Worcestershire have come under fire for approving their own pay rises while voting down plans to help disabled people.

At a meeting of full council earlier this month, all Conservative county councillors voted to give the leader, deputy leader, cabinet members and committee chairs a pay rise of between eight to 10 per cent, whilst other councillors received a small cut.

The changes, which will come into force from September 1 this year, mean a revised salary of £34,182 for the council's leader Simon Geraghty (up from £31,075), on top of the basic allowance of £8,716.

As a result, he will earn more than leaders in Cambridgeshire, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, North Yorkshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire and Warwickshire.

The raise, which was recommended by an independent panel, places Worcestershire above the national average for every council role apart from the basic allowance.

Cllr Geraghty defended the decision, saying there had been a pay freeze in Worcestershire for the last nine years, and the work of senior councillors had become increasingly demanding.

But a spokesperson for the Green Party said: "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, Cllr 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 did not have enough money.

Speaking after the meeting, 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."