TAXPAYERS paid Redcar and Cleveland Borough councillors a combined total of £428,311 before tax last year.

Across the wider Cleveland area, councillors were paid allowances amounting to nearly £1.6m last year.

Stockton borough councillors received £425,758, while those on the Hartlepool authority, which has the fewest number of councillors, received £251,636.

This year Hartlepool mayor Stuart Drummond's £53,000 salary will be added to that amount.

The allowance budgeted for Middlesbrough Council for this financial year works out at £484,510 - which includes Ray Mallon's salary of £30,000.

The salary of Redcar and Cleveland's chief executive, Colin Moore, was revealed as £85,000. This makes him the lowest paid chief executive in the Cleveland area.

Middlesbrough Council's chief executive, John Foster, was paid a salary of £125,000 and it is understood that Brian Dinsdale, at Hartlepool, received between £100,000 and £110,000.

Stockton council chief executive George Garlick was paid £113,000.

The figures were revealed at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's finance committee last Friday.

Five members of the public were questioned about these figures in Redcar High Street. Each one thought the figures were too high.

Philip McLone, of Redcar, said: "It is a total outrage. I've often wondered what the council actually does with all the money and now I know.

"We want the council to make sure the street lights work, the bins are collected and the pavements are looked after. That is what the money should go on."

However, Dari Taylor, MP for Stockton South, said councillors should receive more money, although she questioned whether unelected chief executives should receive such sums.

She said: "I know I'm not going to be popular saying this, but the truth is we get democracy on the cheap in this country.

"People will say that years ago people worked as councillors voluntarily. Well, that just does not happen any more.

"If we want to attract quality councillors, never mind enough councillors, we have to pay them.

"I would pay a full-time wage but reduce the number of councillors by 50 per cent."