COUNCILLORS on Bracknell Forest Council cost the borough’s tax payers £587,475 in the past year, £4,000 more than the previous year.

Nearly two thirds of the spend comes from basic allowances for the councillors whilst £23,160 was spent on expenses claims on travel, mileage, subsistence, and childcare between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016.

The increase comes as Westminster slashed the council’s budget by £11.6m The expenses claims for the 42 councillors has risen by nearly eight per cent year on year, whilst the allowances bill has increased by less than a per cent The top claimant is council leader Paul Bettison whose £40,006.78 bill includes a nearly £29,000 top-up for running the council.

He also made expenses claims for £492 for driving outside of the borough along with £1,210 for other travel expenses, and £662 for subsistence.

His expenses are more than 10 per cent of all the council’s claims excluding the £16,276 spent on mayoral duties.

“I work long hours,” he said. “In an average week in excess of 100 hours on council business, that’s my full time job. Most people who travel on business clock up significant expenses.

“If I hadn’t gone to London to ask for more money we would have been £1.8m worse off. So looking at that trip to London it was a great investment.”

The other top bills are from deputy council leader and executive member for adult services, health and housing Dale Birch, £26,380, and executive member for children Dr Gareth Barnard, £25,722.

More than a third of the money, £196,888, is spent on special responsibility allowances for just 24 councillors.

Cllr Mary Temperton, the only opposition councillor, asked the council to ensure the number of special responsibility payments is appropriate.

She said: “I was told the Independent Remuneration Panel will be looking at that.

“In the past they have said everything is OK. In my response to the cuts I wondered if they could get them to look at it in light of the significant reduction in costs clause they use for everything else.

“The ‘champions’ get money and I’m sure most of them do good work and are out in their communities but so are a lot of other people.”

"Most people who travel on business clock up significant expenses."