THE leader of Surrey County Council has backtracked on a decision to increase his allowances by almost 60 per cent.
Councillor David Hodge made the U-turn in the same week a government minister publicly named and shamed the authority for "showing contempt for hard-working families".
In a letter to the Mirror, local government minister Brandon Lewis said: "The way in which this council has managed this process clearly leaves a lot to be desired."
It comes after May's controversy when the council pushed through near-60 per cent rises in allowances for Mr Hodge and his deputy Peter Martin.
Allowances to other councillors also went up, bringing the total taxpayer outlay on county councillors' allowances to £1.5 million.
Three members of an independent remuneration panel (IRP), who recommended more modest rises, resigned in protest at the "flagrant disregard" of their proposals.
Mr Hodge told a full council meeting on Tuesday he agreed with the hike which would have seen his salary increase from £38,791 to £55,418 to reflect his "large and onerous" responsibilities.
He added he took decisions "always in the best interest of Surrey residents".
He said: "I understand and respect the decision on allowances made by council and the reasons for it and I agree with that decision.
"Nevertheless, at this moment, I have made a personal decision to accept only the level of allowance recommended by the IRP."
Deputy leader Peter Martin has also made the same decision, meaning he will earn £42,751, rather than the £43,668 voted through.
Mr Hodge will now take home £47,966.
This comes at a time when the same local authority is trying to save £72 million this year.
Mr Lewis sent an open letter to the Mirror after both Gordon Keymer – leader of Tandridge District Council – and county council Liberal Democrat group leader Hazel Watson wrote to him to voice their views on the rises.
Mr Lewis said: "It is deeply concerning that Surrey County Council has chosen to act in a way which shows contempt for the hard-working families of the area who pay their council tax.
"Given the pay freeze that local government workers have faced in recent years, the Government expects those in public life to show restraint."
Following Mr Lewis's letter, Mr Keymer would merely say: "I confirm I wrote to the minister but do not wish to add anything to that."
Mrs Watson said: "The Conservative administration at County Hall is living in cloud cuckoo land if they think that they can get away with these outrageous councillor allowances."
It is unclear whether the increases in special responsibility allowances for other posts will be reversed.
A county council spokeswoman said the rises reflected the council's increased workload.
She added: "There has been no review of allowances for four years and, while that was the right thing to do at the time, it is now important that they reflect increases in roles and responsibilities."