ONCE the dust settles on his mayoral success, Ray Mallon could be forgiven for asking why he is being paid £23,000 less than a monkey.

The newly-elected Middlesbrough mayor will earn £30,000 a year.

H'Angus the Monkey, or as he is now properly known, Stuart Drummond, will earn £53,000 in his role as Hartlepool's directly-elected mayor.

Both salaries were set by independent remuneration panels whose members were appointed by the councils.

A spokesman for Hartlepool Borough Council said its panel consisted of a local accountant, the chair of Hartlepool Primary Care Trust, an executive director of the Learning and Skills Council and two residents.

The spokesman said: "It is a matter for Middlesbrough why they are offering £23,000 less.

"Following lengthy discussions, the panel decided to set an allowance towards the upper end of the range to reflect the considerable responsibility attached to the position."

Middlesbrough Council said its panel consisted of, among others, trade unionists and members of the community.

It is the larger authority with more staff and a bigger annual budget.

A spokesman said yesterday: "With something like this, it is obviously completely new and, to a certain extent, there are no parallels to compare with.

"The panel gave their views on what they thought was an appropriate amount and we accepted that.