COUNCILLORS have been asked to shave thousands from their allowances next year to help cope with the public spending squeeze.

An outside body has urged Kirklees Council to freeze pay for its 69 members in 2011/12.

And the Independent Review Panel has also advised Kirklees to reduce allowances paid for some roles.

The six-strong group has investigated councillors pay and conditions.

The panel has recommended freezing the basic allowance, paid to all 69 councillors, at s12,566.

And the group believes most Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) should also be kept at their current level.

The payments are given on top of the basic allowance to councillors who take on extra work.

SRAs range from s25,155 for the council leader to s1,227 for members who sit on fostering and adoption panels.

Thirty-eight of the 69 members of Kirklees receive the allowances but no councillor is able to claim more than one.

The Independent Review Panel has recommended cutting allowances to the chair of the Appeals Panel and the two members of the Overview and Scrutiny management group.

The move would save s4,908 a year.

Kirklees will also save s7,362 next year thanks to a reorganisation of the area committee system.

In 2010 there were 12 grassroots groups, whose chairmen were entitled to s22,086 between them.

But in 2011/12 there will be just six committees, costing s14,724 in SRAs.

Altogether Kirklees will save s12,270 in SRAs in 2011/12 if the panels recommendations are followed.

The group is chaired by Andrew Taylor and includes Ian Brown, Chris West, Lynn Knowles, Stephen Thornton and Fiona Weston.

The councils Corporate Governance and Audit Committee will discuss the report at its meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall at 9am on Friday.

The recommendations will then go to the next monthly meeting of full council on February 23.

But Clr Andrew Cooper said yesterday that the panels cuts do not go far enough.

The Newsome Green said: At a time of cuts, I think a small reduction in the basic allowance paid to every councillor should be considered.

It would be a recognition of the difficult times we face.

Clr Cooper, who receives s3,684 in SRA as head of the four-strong Greens, believes other opposition leaders should get the same.

Lib Dem Clr Kath Pinnock and Conservative Clr Robert Light each get s9,820 a year because they lead groups of between seven and 29 councillors.

Clr Cooper said: Theres no real justification for giving the allowance on the basis of how many members you have.

All leaders of groups should get the same SRA, that would mean some real reductions.

The Independent Review Panel has also recommended no change to the councils policy on expenses.

Councillors will continue to be allowed to claim for travel and 50% of subsistence when they go to their party conferences.

And Kirklees will go on paying for away days for councillors.

Last month the Examiner revealed that Kirklees councillors claimed s11,509 for travel and s4,330 for subsistence in 2009/10.

Clr Cooper believes the expenses policy should be tightened.

I dont think party conferences should be funded by Kirklees at a time like this, he said.

I certainly wont be asking the council to for funding to go to my party conference. I dont think its justified.

Click here to see the full list of allowances.