SOUTH Lakeland district councillors have voted to give themselves a £3,000-a-year basic allowance, reports Helen Long.

This is almost double the average of £1,572 currently claimed each year by councillors in attendance allowances.

The controversial increase, which will cost an additional £100,000, is partly designed to attract younger people to stand for public service, amid fears the local authority is becoming an unrepresentative, "ageing" council.

It comes as SLDC is seeking to make radical budget cuts to tackle a £1.2 million cash crisis and the financial effects of the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

In a tense, two-and-a-half hour debate, councillors agonised over how the rise would be seen by the public, but eventually voted 19-18 to go ahead with it.

The change in payments to councillors follows a local government act, which will see the abolition of attendance allowances from July 28.

An independent panel recommended councillors accept a basic allowance of £2,000 a year - but councillors voted for £ 3,000.

Some members argued the new basic allowance would still not be enough to attract younger people into local government service, and that the council would cease to be representative of its community.

Councillors rejected the panel's recommended additional £1,750 'special responsibility allowance' to be paid to committee chairmen - that figure will be £750.

The package of allowances - which also includes a special responsibility allowance of £ 500 to the four leaders of the political groups - will run until the council's new cabinet structure takes over towards the end of this year.

This week the council approved the 'leader and cabinet' option for its new structure.

When the council's new structure begins, all councillors will continue to receive a basic annual allowance of £3,000 a year, with the council leader receiving an additional £7,000, and members of the cabinet or executive receiving an additional £ 4,000.