THE basic allowance of Burnley's council leader looks set to soar from £2,400 to £8,000.

The increase is proposed in the report of an independent remuneration panel set up to investigate the level of allowances the town's councillors should receive.

The panel was headed by William Ashworth, a former district judge and also a former chairman of the East Lancashire Health Authority.

The report recommends increased allowances for all councillors.

It also suggests that basic allowances should increase from £1,200 to £2,000, that the deputy leader's allowance should go up from £1,200 to £2,000, executive members from £1,800 to £3,000, chairmen from £1,200 to £2,000, vice-chairmen from £600 to £1,000 and other group leaders from £600 to £1,000.

The council will consider the recommendations at a council meeting on March 6 when Mr Ashworth will be questioned by councillors.

Current leader Stuart Caddy, a postman, said: "We had an increase last year, the first for nine years. This is now a statutory thing we have to do."

Coun Caddy added: "I genuinely put in between 50 to 60 hours of council work of one sort or another each week."

The panel looked at the number of hours worked by councillors in different categories in an attempt to reflect the different workloads for the various roles undertaken. The hours were assessed by questionnaires and interviews.

Mr Ashworth said: "We were mindful the scheme could not represent an income but should be designed to ensure financial hardship was not suffered.

"We felt it was important to appreciate the time commitment but at the same time recognise that there is a choice in becoming a councillor. The rate has therefore been fixed at a very low level, well below that of the average pay for employees in the North West region."

Mr Ashworth added: "The panel felt that it should be recognised that the time commitment associated with elected office had a cost to councillors' personal life. The level of allowance should, therefore, provide some compensation for this cost."

They noted the current basic allowance in Burnley was at least £800 lower than that of comparable neighbouring authorities.