Councillors have been slammed as "foolish" after they voted to award themselves an increase in allowances while slashing council tax support for residents.

Last week, Epsom Council met to discuss recommendations by an Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) for potential increases in the special responsibility allowances (SRAs) paid to councillors.

All councillors are paid a basic allowance, £3,341, which the council decided not to increase earlier this year.

On top of this, special responsibility allowances can be paid to councillors who perform additional activities "over and above" those covered by the basic allowance.

Following a change to the structure of some of the council’s committees this year, it asked the IRP to consider the SRAs paid to councillors, for which it made a number of suggestions.

These included giving the leader of the majority party on the council, Residents' Association councillor Clive Woodbridge, an SRA at 70 per cent of the basic allowance - up 20 per cent - and handing the chair of the strategy and resources committee, Residents' Association councillor Neil Dallen, an SRA at 100 per cent of the basic allowance - a 30 per cent increase.

It also recommended that the vice chairman of the planning committee, Residents' Association councillor Michael Arthur, should receive an SRA at 30 per of their basic allowance, along with allowance increases for a number of other committee chairmen, and £200 for leaders of parties.

The council voted to accept most of the IRP’s recommendations, with only a few exceptions, resulting in an increase of £7,819 to be spent on allowances from 2015 - a five per cent increase.

The majority of the new allowances will come into effect after the next election in 2015.

This summer, after intense public pressure, Surrey County Council Conservative leader David Hodge confirmed that he and his cabinet would be u-turning over plans to increase their allowances by up to 60 per cent.

The IRP’s recommendations were considered at the same Epsom Council meeting at which a cut in council tax support was approved.

Labour councillor Sheila Carlson, whose party voted against the allowances increase, said: "So it’s ok to tell these people they have to pay more and in the next item the Residents’ Association (RA) councillors are voting themselves a pay increase.

"It’s not a pay increase across the board.

"It’s purely for the RA councillors because they hold all the positions of power.

"It’s wrong at this period of time.

"I was really disgusted.

"The timing of it was very, very foolish because it came immediately after the vote asking members of our borough to pay more.

"It really is a kick in the teeth for the people who are struggling."

On the allowance for the leader/chairman of the majority group, she said: "He’s not the leader of a council.

"He doesn’t fulfil that role.

"I just don’t think it’s sending out the right message."

Liberal Democrat councillor Julie Morris’ party abstained on the vote.

She said: "I felt it was an increase for the ruling group.

"We didn’t feel it was appropriate to have anything over a nominal increase.

"A lesser increase for certain roles was appropriate but not to the level proposed."

But RA group chairman Clive Woodbridge said "they are fairly modest increases".

Speaking about his new allowance as chairman of the majority group, he said: "We don’t have a council leader as such but the IRP though their investigations realised there was a role within the council which does justify an increase in allowances."

He added: "It’s easy to play politics with allowances."

In a report outlining its recommendations, the IRP said it gathered the views of "a wide range of councillors".

It stated: "Generally, most members who responded felt the current allowances do not fully compensate members for the time they spend on council business, particularly in the case of those members who took on special responsibilities.

"However, members also generally felt the basic allowance is at an appropriate level and it does not discourage people from standing for election.

"A far greater factor in this regard is the time commitment, which impacts on family life, being able to spend time with friends, and other activities."

It said that as the local authority makes efficiency savings, councillors "have had to be much more active in their roles".

The IRP also said that, in its opinion, allowances would also be one way to attract more diverse candidates to become councillors.

"The panel believes diversity improves business results and suggests to the council that if it wants to improve the diversity of elected representatives in the borough, allowances would be an element within its control to influence," it said.

"Attracting a range of people to stand as elected members remains a national democratic concern."

RA Councillor Neil Dallen said: "We are not just giving ourselves a rise as we are not going to implement these increases until after the next election.

"I may not even be elected again.

"It’s about the responsibility attached to the role."

Coun Dallen said setting allowances is part of the overall approach to attract more people to become councillors.

He added: "Labour and the Lib Dems are making a political point but they are happy to take the allowances.

"They haven’t refused to take them.

"The allowances and council tax are completely separate subjects."

Conservative councillor Darren Dale said his party voted against the changes.

He said: "At the meeting, I proposed to table an amendment to ignore the IRP report and, like the basic allowances, ignore it and vote for no change.  That was objected to and voted against."

Coun Dale disagreed with Coun Dallen's claims that allowances are a way of attracting more people to become councillors.

"These increases are just for chairmen and vice chairmen positions.  

"Do you think a new person walking into the council after election is going to get a chairman or vice chairman position from day one?  

"They're going to go to the same people they've always gone to."

Coun Dale said he agreed with Coun Carlson that voting to increase allowances while cutting council tax support sends the wrong message to people.  

He added: "To do that within a five-minute slot of each other is reprehensible to be honest.  

"Especially because come the next year, we are still going to have to make cuts and budgetary squeezes."

The Conservative councillor said the money would be better spent if it was invested in services.

In October, a free event was hosted at Epsom town hall to encourage people from groups currently under-represented on Epsom Council to join its ranks.  

It was organised after councillors passed a motion noting "key demographic groups" are under-represented and resolved to find ways to increase their participation in next year's borough elections.