COUNCILLORS have defended their decision to grant themselves a 15.8 per cent rise in their basic allowance - despite the advice of an independent panel to raise it by only 5.8 per cent.

The increase agreed by Chester-le-Street district councillors was condemned by Lib eral Democrat councillor Philip Nathan, who voted against his colleagues, along with independent councillor Jackie Proud.

Coun Nathan said members had ignored the advice of the independent remuneration panel and the increase was "unreasonable and unnecessary".

But council leader Linda Ebbatson, from the Labour group, rejected this. She said councillors should not be left worse off for deciding to serve their communities.

Labour, Conservative and independent councillors voted to add another ten per cent to the panel's recommendation.

The 34 members get a basic allowance of £4,105 a year. The panel recommended this should be £4,347. But councillors agreed to raise it to £4,755 - about £55 more each month.

Coun Nathan said: "In times when people are having to put up with so many price rises, with petrol, heating, gas and other prices all going up, it is wrong for councillors to award themselves such a whopping pay rise.

"The 5.8 per cent rise proposed by the panel would have been enough."

Coun Ebbatson said: "Our allowances have not been raised since 2003 - and they have always been historically very low compared with other authorities.

"What the panel was proposing actually left councillors worse off.

"I think that if we want people to be councillors - and they are volunteers. It is important to ensure, as far as possible, that councillors are not worse off as a result of being councillors."