The Conservative group has slammed a panel of independent Wokingham residents for a report they produced commenting on councillor’s pay.

The Independent Remuneration Panel’s (IRP) report advised that councillors taking paid roles at organisations owned  by the council may not “look right” to the borough’s residents, also suggesting that the appointments – approved by the council leader – were made “ as a means of securing political loyalty”.

Now the Conservatives has hit back, saying in a group statement: “Conservative councillors expressed strong concerns that the Panel’s lengthy report included content outside the IRP’s scope, as well as making ‘political’ comments regarding appointments by the Council’s Leader.”

Councillors could earn more than £23,000 if nominated as an executive member of the council, as a non-executive director of a council-owned company and as a member of the board at the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority.

The panel claimed it could not agree with the opinion suggested by some councillors that if the rewards available to councillors were limited, the council would fail to recruit members willing to represent the authority in these positions.

The panel cannot formally recommend that the council changes its policy on this issue, but signposted that the authority should consider changing its rules so that councillors holding two or three paid positions should only be paid for one.

The Conservative group also condemned the council for the IRP’s method, saying: “Councillors were critical of the number of meetings the IRP held and the amount of council officers’ time taken up supporting the Panel.

“It was noted that the panel met 14 times in a seven-month period – more than the authority’s full council or executive meet in an entire year.”

Councillor Pauline Jorgensen, deputy leader of the council, added: “I know that councillors, including the Leader, attempted to raise their concerns with the IRP, but the Panel did not seem to take on board these views.

“It would be most welcome if there could be a cross-party review of how the IRP can better take on board the views of all councillors, as well as reflecting the opinions of the public outside.”