A majority of St Albans councillors of voted in favour of keeping their exceptionally high salaries above those of representatives in neighbouring councils.

St Albans has the seventeenth most expensive system out of 194 district councils in the UK, with the allowance for a councillor 10 per cent higher than the Hertfordshire average of £4,997.

Councillors from across the political spectrum joined together to defend their above-average pay at a council meeting last night (February 22) where a reduction was suggested.

Speaking in favour of reducing councillors’ pay, Cllr Stephen Hodgson said: “Councils are in a new financial era and if we are to have the moral authority to carry through budget cuts at the same time as increasing council tax, we have to consider councillors’ allowances as part of the budget process.”

But the majority of councillors disagreed and demanded they retain their current pay, which is amongst the highest in the county.

Labour councillor Roma Mills told the meeting how much councillors are paid is not important to local people and that she had never been contacted about it by residents.

Labour’s Malachy Pakenham said if councillors weren’t paid enough the council risked becoming “about as diverse as a Ku Klux Klan meeting”.

His comments were endorsed by Conservative councillor Matthew Stephens.

Bringing councillors’ pay into line with other districts would have seen each St Albans district councillor receive around £1 less per day in take-home pay.

It would have unlocked an extra £31,000 a year for the council to spend on front-line services.

Seven district councillors voted to reduce councillors’ pay and the proposal was defeated.