A 59% allowance rise has been turned down by Surrey County Council leader David Hodge during a dramatic meeting of the full council.
Councillors voted through the increase in Hodge’s special responsibility allowance earlier this year, in a move that would have raised the sum from £27,000 to £43,000.
All three members of the town hall’s independent remuneration panel (IRP) resigned following the vote, having recommended limiting the increases at £35,538.
At the time, panel chair Cathy Rollinson said the council had shown ‘total disregard’ for their proposals.
However Hodge told councillors last night that both he and his deputy would now only accept the level of allowances recommended by the IRP.
He said: ‘I became a councillor not for personal gain but to try and make a difference to the communities I represent and as leader that now means the whole of Surrey. That remains my firm and only commitment.
‘I believe that the council’s decision on the allowance to be paid to the leader of this council, in the light of the large and onerous responsibilities that this post carries was reached by members on the basis of detailed and careful consideration of all the relevant factors.
‘Having taken no part in those deliberations, I respect the maturity of their decision-making and the conclusions they reached.
‘This council chamber is one of the key institutions of representative democracy that started in Surrey nearly 800 years ago. Mr chairman and members, I respect that. That is why I have waited until today to state my personal position.
‘I understand and respect the decision made by the council on allowances and the reasons for it. I agree with that decision. Nevertheless, at this moment I have made a personal decision to accept only the level of allowance recommended by the IRP. My deputy has made a similar decision,’ Hodge concluded.
