COUNCILLORS are about to vote themselves an inflation-busting 13 per cent pay rise in the face of school and care home closures.

The Northern Echo understands that Durham County Council's 61 members could end up seeing their basic allowances boosted by an average of £1,000 a year.

The move is believed to have been backed by the majority of Labour councillors - of which there are 52 members - at their group meeting last Wednesday.

A vote was taken the same day the council announced a controversial £300m shake-up in education, which will see the closure of some schools because of a rise in surplus pupil places.

Headteachers could find out this week if their schools are among the 306 in the county listed for closure when an appraisals report is published.

Meanwhile, the council has been criticised for cutting free schools' bus travel and road gritting as well as closing 17 homes for the elderly.

Union leaders last night condemned the authority for its "double standards" when some its staff were struggling on minimum wages.

Lynne Robson, Unison's head of local government for the Northern region, said: "For councillors to say they can't afford to deliver on some services and yet they can find the money to give themselves a substantial pay rise will not sit very well with our members."

John Heslop, regional officer for the National Association of Headteachers, said: "The timing is very unfortunate and insensitive and it will certainly raise one or two temperatures."

A source who attended the Labour group meeting said: "I'm appalled at what they've done. The Labour councillors make up most of the council so they've effectively voted themselves it already."

Councillors are entitled to a basic allowance of £7,206 a year as well as expenses.

An independent panel recommended in April that senior cabinet members receive huge rises in their special responsibility allowances - the deputy leader a rise of 55 per cent to £16,764; the leader, 23 per cent to £26,528.

But it is now understood that those rises will be scrapped in favour of a rise for every councillor, which is due to be debated by the full council on June 27.

A report by the independent panel seen by The Northern Echo in April said that "the work undertaken by the leader and deputy leader and by members of the cabinet is substantial and it is difficult to see how these could be any other than full time commitments."

But council leader Ken Manton said: "There are changes to make it more attractive for people entering local government. It is a reduction at the top balanced by an increase at the bottom."