Outraged residents have expressed disbelief that Wiltshire Council has agreed to a substantial increase in members’ allowances only weeks after making 252 staff redundant.

The increases, put forward by Wiltshire Council’s Independent Remuner-ation Panel, were passed by 53 votes to 28, with two abstentions, at Tuesday’s full council meeting.

It means Jane Scott, Wiltshire Council leader and head of the Conserv-ative group, will see her allowance rise by 36.5 per cent a year, affording her an additional £14,892 on her present £37,335, bringing the figure to £52,227.

This figure covers her position as council leader and chairman of the health and wellbeing board.

Carrying out the review, the first since 2009, the independent body compared Wiltshire Council’s allowances scheme with other councils and also considered government guidance.

The increases, to be backdated from May’s elections, will see councillors’ basic allowances go up by one per cent, a rise of £122, to £12,289 a year with those councillors who are members of the council’s cabinet seeing allowances increase by at least 22 per cent from £15,101 to £18,433 a year.

Coun Scott told the meeting: “I think it is important that it’s not the people but the positions. It is about positioning the council in the right place to get the right people to do these jobs.”

Yesterday, she refused the Gazette’s requests for an interview and failed to respond to emailed questions about whether she would accept the increase, and how she could justify it at a time when many council workers have had a three-year pay freeze, followed by a one per cent rise this year.

During the summer, the council ran a voluntary redundancy programme in which 252 staff decided to leave. It culminated in September when seven of the council’s 18 senior officers took voluntary redundancy, a saving of £300,000 a year in salaries, while the remaining officers saw their wages rise by 7.5 per cent, on average, to recognise their additional responsibilities.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Liberal Democrats and independent councillors put forward several amendments to reduce the increase in allowances but these were all defeated.

When news of the vote appeared on the Gazette’s website it unleashed a storm of protests, ranging from “This is an utter disgrace”; “There are no words to describe this obscene act”; “Those at the top are well looked after. Those at the bottom get one per cent increase.”

But Wiltshire councillor Simon Killane, who stands as an independent, defended the allowance increases.

The father-of-three, who lives with wife Rhona in Malmesbury, can now claim up to £23,042 a year, as a councillor and chairman of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee – an increase of £2,096. He also works part-time as a product designer. “I have three young children and I need about £30,000 a year to survive,” he said.

“In my four years with the council I have never met a councillor that rips off the system. If Jane Scott wanted to make money she wouldn’t be a councillor, she’d be a CEO of a big company, she obviously wants to make a difference to Wiltshire like we all do.”

Coun Stuart Wheeler, cabinet member for governance, believes this more competitive allowance system will encourage more participation in local politics.

“I’m happy to defend to defend our allowances to members of the public,” he said.

But Coun Jon Hubbard, leader of the Wiltshire Liberal Democrats, said: “It is outrageous that we have seen the Conservative leadership at Wiltshire Council receive a massive pay rise just after they have made hundreds of staff redundant.”

Sue Anderson, secretary of Wiltshire’s Unison branch, which represents the council’s workforce, said: “It is another kick in the teeth for staff and morale is still very low following the redundancies. It seems strange that they can find money in these instances but it never seems a priority with frontline staff.”

Jonathan Isaby, political director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “At a time when the council has had to make necessary savings, shedding several hundred staff and freezing pay for others, it is outrageous in the extreme that councillors have voted to increase their own allowances. Regardless of the independence of the panel, Wiltshire councillors should have rejected them.”