County councillors are to get a £4.5% increase in their allowances this year, taking the overall costs to the public purse to more than £2m.

The yearly increase was incorporated into the county council’s budget that has been rubber-stamped at a meeting.

However, there was no debate on the increase, which is based on the recommendations made by an independent remuneration panel.

The rise means the basic allowance payment that all members are entitled to claim will go up from £15,695 to £16,407, an increase of about £706.

Members of the Conservative cabinet, who are eligible for what is known as the special responsibility allowance (SRA) will see their allowance rise to £26,293 from £25,161.

They are also entitled to claim the basic allowance, which means their overall ‘pay’ will be £42,700.

The leader of the council Roger Gough will see his SRA increase to £40,451 from £38,710.

Other special responsibility allowances include payments to deputy cabinet members, which are currently £6,774 but will rise by £308 to 7,082.

Allowances are designed to reflect the costs incurred by councillors in their work, at the same time as acknowledging that it is a voluntary role.

It is intended to cover preparing for and attending all formal and informal meetings they are invited to, as well as meeting constituents and dealing with enquiries from their constituents.

The basic allowance also covers the use of an elected member's home for conducting Kent County Council business.

In KCC’s case, the panel determined its recommendations on two key factors.

The first was the average of the pay increases in sectors covered by eight national public sector pay review bodies. The second formula related to the pay award to KCC staff.