ALLOWANCES for Castle Point councillors have risen by nearly £20,000 in the past year.

The total bill for members' allowances, and co-opted members of the public, rose from £170,162 in 2006/07 to £189,033 in 2007/08.

The 11 per cent increase on the previous year saw council leader Pam Challis receive £14,560 and her deputy, Jeff Stanley, getting £10,348.

Mr Stanley said: "When councillors were given allowances a few years ago we set it so a great deal of the time we spent on council business was unpaid.

"I think about 80 per cent of what we do is unpaid."

He added: "The renumeration is set by an independent renumeration panel and there is one that's about to sit for this summer. The last one was held a year ago.

"We will be considering what the renumeration panel says either in July or August.

"We think in this day and age it's unusual for very many people to give their time for free and it's good Castle Point councillors are still prepared to do that."

Each councillor currently gets a basic allowance of £2,888 and a range of special allowances for particular duties, ranging from £1,805 to £7,942.

The independent review will also look at what allowances should be claimed under the cabinet system.

Chief executive David Marchant said: "Clearly, as we've changed from a committee system to a cabinet system, there needed to be a review.

"The panel goes away and looks at what other authorities are doing and how they deal with the same issues. Then it makes its recommendation to the council as to what it wants to do."

Dave Blackwell, leader of the Canvey Independent Party, the main opposition group, claimed £8,330.

He said: "I've got to say the allowances are fair because Castle Point is apparently the lowest paid in the country, and that has been the case for the past ten years. It has always been highlighted as having the lowest paid councillors in the country.

"I'm a bit concerned because of the way things are at the moment, with everybody struggling to make ends meet with the credit crunch. I would expect the ruling party to keep their allowances as they are this year."