COUNCILLORS have voted to continue to award themselves up to 58 pence a mile in travel expenses despite needing to save three per cent on their budget this year.

Members of Stroud District Council voted through recommendations to continue to claim up to 58 pence per mile for travelling to their parish or town council meetings at their annual general meeting last night.

The recommendations, made by the authority’s Independent Remuneration Panel, also said that councillors could choose "if they so wished" to claim the HM Customs and Revenue base rate of 40 pence per mile instead.

However members of Stroud’s Green Party called for an amendment saying that the mileage rate should be 25 pence per mile to reflect the need to cut carbon emissions and to save the council money.

Cllr Sarah Lunnon (Greens) said: "I think the mileage rate should be 25 pence a mile, this would send the right signals to people that we are not pocketing tax-payers money for doing this job."

Cllr Martin Whiteside (Greens) agreed and said that if councillors claimed 58 pence per mile that would actually be making a profit on travelling to meetings.

He said: "It is around 25 pence a mile to run a small fuel efficient car, if some members have a bigger car then that is there problem."

However the majority of councillors voted against this amendment (15 for and 31 against) and instead to continue on their current rates, which are agreed by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services.

These rates are 42.9p for cars under 999cc, 46.9 for cars between 1000-1199cc and 58.7p for vehicles over 1200cc.

Leader of the council Chas Fellows (Cons) said changing the fuel allowance would create "inequality" in the council because some members are less well-off than others and cannot afford the petrol to travel to meetings.

He said: "This council prides itself on its diversity and equality. It is very, very difficult to support something, no matter how laudable, that could create inequality in the council."

Cllr Chris Brine (Labour) added: "This is a monetary issue not an environmental issue.

"I have never submitted an expenses claim because I think I get paid enough but I believe some members need the extra money for travel expenses to afford coming to meetings."

At the same meeting councillors agreed on ways of making three per cent cost efficiency savings on this year’s budget. These included freezing Special Responsibility Allowances at 2008/09 levels, which would save around £3,000, reducing the cabinet by two members, which would save nearly £20,000 and foregoing tea and biscuits at all their meetings to save £4,000 a year.