A plan to pay the deputy mayor of a borough £5,000 a year for fulfilling civic duties has been put on ice.

The new Tory leader of Hyndburn Council Cllr Marlene Haworth proposed the scheme at the authority's annual meeting on Thursday.

But her Labour counterpart Cllr Munsif Dad questioned the plan.

Cllr Haworth's proposal was that the meeting 'agrees to establish an annual payment to the Deputy Mayor of £5,000 in respect of the costs and expenses associated with that office (such payment to be in addition to the payment already made to the Mayor to cover the costs and expenses of his / her office)'.

Cllr Dad said the new payment was inappropriate at the time of a cost of living crisis.

He added: "It should be done for the pride not the money."

Baxenden Tory councillor Terry Hurn, who was promoted to Mayor for 2023/24 having been deputy mayor until the meeting, agreed saying: "I think the job should be done for the pride not £5,000."

Cllr Peter Britcliffe, deputy leader of the Conservative group, suggested that the plan should be shelved while the council's Independent Remuneration Panel looked at it.

Veteran Tory Cllr Judith Addison suggested paying the deputy mayor per event.

Netherton Labour councillor Noordad Aziz then moved that the payment should not be authorised while the Independent Remuneration Panel considered whether it should go ahead.

This proposal was passed after Cllr Haworth agreed it was the best way forward.

Independent Barnfield councillor Joyce Plummer was elected deputy mayor for 2022/23 despite a Labour challenge to choose Cllr Aziz instead.