A CONTROVERSIAL move to drastically cut the financial package for leaders of opposition parties on Middlesbrough Council has been turned down.

A recommendation to cut the annual salary for the Conservative group leader, from £4,000 to £1,500, and that of the Liberal Democrat group leader, from £3,000 to £1,000, were thrown out at a full meeting of the authority.

Questions were raised about the role and value of the opposition leaders - with the Liberal Democrats holding six and the Conservatives seven out of a total 48 seats on the council.

However, Councillor Tom Mawston, Liberal Democrat leader, expressed his disappointment at the plan, drawn up by an independent panel which was set up to look into the level of councillors allowances.

He said that it was a role which would be better carried out by the Government.

"I question the independence of the panel. I wasn't involved in any discussion on the subject and it has always been a complicated and complex issue," he said.

"I don't know who the panel have talked to for the information they needed to forward these proposals.

"I believe it is the Government's responsibility to set the level nationwide and not leave it to individual councils.

"We are in this farcical position because they won't take the decision. I'm very disappointed that it has been handled in this way."

The Conservative group leader, Councillor Hazel Pearson, said: "I think they (the panel) only interviewed two back bench members of the council so I don't know what the thinking was behind it.

"The Labour Group did support the minority parties by rejecting this proposal because each party has a role to perform.

"The majority of councillors work very hard."

A council spokesman said: "The situation is that the report of the panel was considered by the full council.

"They regarded it as fundamentally flawed in a number of aspects, so unfortunately they had to reject it.

"This means that the current system of special responsibility allowances will continue unchanged."