SHAMED Lord Hanningfield is still receiving his £11,500 councillor’s allowance in prison.

The peer and former Essex County Council leader lodged an appeal against his conviction for fiddling his expenses, which means he continues to be an Essex county councillor and receives a basic allowance – paid from taxpayers’ money.

Last week, Lord Hanningfield, who was born Paul White, was jailed for nine months for falsely claiming almost £14,000 from the House of Lords.

The sentence would disqualify the 70-year-old, of West Hanning-field, from being part of Essex County Council, but because he appealed against the conviction the disqualification has been put on hold.

Under British law, the cases of convicted criminals are reopened from the moment an appeal is lodged so, despite starting his prison sentence, White could still be found innocent.

A spokeswoman for Essex County Council said: “Lord Hanningfield remains a member of Essex County Council, and in the short term will continue to receive the basic allowance.

“He is not disqualified yet due to the operation of the Local Government Act 1972, which deems the date of the conviction for the purposes of disqualification to be the date when the appeal process is exhausted.”

The appeal process is likely to be finished by July 29, and his basic allowance will finish on that day if he is unsuccessful.

The council’s Liberal Democrat deputy leader, Michael Mackrory, said it was wrong for Lord Hanningfield to continue receiving taxpayers’ money and for the 13,500 residents of Stock to be unrepresented at County Hall.

He said: “We feel he should do the honourable thing and resign his seat and stop causing further embarrassment to Essex County Council.

“He should accept the decision of the jury and the sentence imposed by the judge, as this is just prolonging the agony.”

Lord Hanningfield was found guilty of six counts of false accounting, by claiming £13,379 for overnight stays in London when he was not in the capital.