PROPOSALS to increase councillors' allowances has sparked criticism from opposition members.

Councillors at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, who will consider the proposals at a full council meeting today, look likely to get a 22 per cent increase on their basic allowance - increasing it to £8,150.

Those with special responsibility in more senior positions, such as the cabinet chairman and deputy chairman, can expect to get even greater increases of about 50 per cent.

The deputy mayor would get the biggest increase of more than 500 per cent from £570 to £3,750.

The rises were recommended by an independent remuneration panel, based on a report from Dr Declan Hall, of the University of Birmingham.

The main reason for the rise is the increase in the number of days that councillors are expected to spend on council business, up from 104 to 116.

But Labour leader George Dunning believes the proposals have come at a particularly bad time.

He said: "In a year when council tax has gone up by six per cent, bus passes and fares for senior citizens and the disabled have been put up and with the fiasco over job evaluation when some members of council staff have had to suffer, I think such huge increases are indecent."

In a report to the full council, councillors are warned that not increasing allowances would prejudice the recruitment of experienced councillors in the future.

Cabinet member for corporate resources Glyn Nightingale said: "This is the result of an independent panel's assessment which did not include input from councillors.

"My view is that we should accept what they say as it is not right for councillors to set their own pay levels.

"The council has a £300m budget and is the biggest employer in the borough.

"The remuneration of councillors is a tiny part of that budget."

Middlesbrough councillors receive a basic allowance of £5,500 and in Stockton councillors get £5,470