Conservative councillors voted through an inflation busting pay increase for their senior members tonight.

As councillors proposed pay increases for the leader, his two deputies, cabinet members and the chief whip, council workers face a pay freeze and likely redundancies and services will be slashed across the board.

Council Leader Mike Fisher is in line for the biggest rise, getting an extra £12,800 on top of his current Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) for his role as leader of the council, an increase of 34 per cent.

Labour councillor Karen Jewitt said: "This was the greediest paper ever before this committee. Who decided that me as a lowly back bencher was not worth the money I was getting but Councillor Fisher was worth a 34 per cent increase?

"I will take the reduction because it is good for the borough but I will not vote for a 34 per cent increase."

Dudley Mead, deputy leader of the council said with all changes it will save £42,000 this year and next year £59,000.

He said that three quarters of councillors will face a pay cut.

He said there has been a climate among the public for allowances and pay to be set by an independent body and that is what they had agreed.

Coun Tim Pollard, deputy leader, said: “I think the public will welcome the changes.”

Conservative councillors voted for the changes with Labour voting against.

The decision to award senior Croydon councillors an increase in pay has now been sent to full council before it will come into force.

All 70 councillors are entitled to a basic allowance which has decreased from £11,596 to £10,957.

Councillors are also able to claim expenses and a special responsibility allowance (SRA) for holding an extra role as a cabinet or committee member.

Some SRA allowances have decreased, but the special allowance for senior councillors has increased and extra SRA roles have been created.

As well as Mike Fisher, deputy leaders Dudley Mead and Tim Pollard can expect a 12 per cent hike in their pay.

When news of the pay hikes broke, the Conservative leadership held a meeting and all agreed not to take the pay rises this year.