by political editor Paul Francis

The public could have a say in how much county councillors are given in allowances under a shake-up being suggested by the Liberal Democrats.

Cllr Trudy Dean, now the official opposition leader at County Hall, said she wanted to find different ways for residents to have a say on such issues and is pushing for a revamp of the way backbench watchdog committees operated.

Cllr Dean is expected to take over as chairman of the authority’s policy scrutiny committee, which has the job of holding the ruling administration to account and can carry out its own investigations.

An independent panel is currently examining how much KCC’s 84 councillors should receive in allowances. Last year, payments totalled about £1.7million.

Cllr Dean said the public deserved a greater say allowances.

~ Read Paul Francis's blog on the proposal >>>

"I want to open up scrutiny in a way that a residents can access it and feel engaged. It should not be the kind of navel-gazing exercise we have had in the past. I want to start with members’ allowances. They are now being discussed and will shortly be decided and I think members of the public have a legitimate involvement. We should put issues like this into the public arena," she said.

"In the past, the independent panel has made its recommendations and we have accepted them without any debate. I am not satisfied with that. The public should be involved in that debate," she added.

KCC councillors currently receive a basic allowance of £12,000 and those on the council’s cabinet are entitled to a further £26,649 by way of a special responsibility allowance.

Recommendations about how much members should receive are made by an independent panel but a final decision rests with councillors.