COUNCILLORS have voted to freeze their basic allowances for the year ahead.

An independent panel had recommended a one per cent increase for members of Durham County Council.

However, the council’s Labour leader Simon Henig told a full council meeting at Durham’s County Hall it was not an appropriate time to be considering an allowance increase and proposed it be left unchanged.

Liberal Democrat Nigel Martin proposed a lower mileage allowance, of 45p per mile rather than 48p – a proposal backed by Conservatives and some independent councillors.

However, the Labour motion was passed by 86 votes to three, with nine abstentions.