COUNCILLORS in Waveney are taking a stand against the recession and the council's financial difficulties by limiting their allowances for the coming year.

COUNCILLORS in Waveney are taking a stand against the recession and the council's financial difficulties by limiting their allowances for the coming year.

Members of Waveney District Council are entitled to a basic allowance to cover the cost of the time they spend on their council work.

Now in the face of the economic climate and Waveney's ongoing dispute with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over �9m in overpaid benefit subsidies, councillors have voted to only increase their allowance by 1pc for 2010/11.

Council leader Mark Bee said that 1pc should be adopted instead of the 2.5pc increase which had originally been proposed. He said: 'Under the current financial circumstances that we all face, it is the responsibility of the council to act appropriately in terms of allowances.'

Labour councillor Nigel Dack proposed at a full council meeting on Thursday that the council should repeat the move it took in 2009/10 and have no increase in basic allowances, but a 1pc increase was adopted by the council.

However, councillors have the choice to voluntarily refuse any increase. The basic allowance for the current year was �3,500.

Mr Dack said: 'I think that we as council members shouldn't be taking any increase at all, especially when there are people being made redundant within the council and with the overall situation as it is.

'I have already turned down my 1pc increase and hopefully if enough other councillors do the same, that will help to pay the wages of council staff for a while.'