The cost of county councillors in Cumbria is to rise from next year.

Annual allowances for elected members will remain the same this year - though increases for some roles with extra responsibility will take effect from May 2017 following the authority's next elections.

However, the move will continue to see those voted into seats on the county authority receiving some of the lowest payments in the country for their work.

The basic allowance of £8,322 per year will stay in place for all 84 councillors.

But the yearly payment to the council leader - a position held by Carlisle councillor Stewart Young - is to rise from £23,166 to £25,000 under the new recommendations agreed at a meeting in Kendal yesterday.

The sum banked by the deputy leader, currently Patricia Bell, will go up from £12,743 to £14,000.

Each member of the cabinet - a committee of councillors each with the responsibility for a key area of the authority's work - will receive £10,000 a year, up from £8,686.

Speaking at the full council meeting, Mr Young said: "Every year we are put in the insidious position of having to vote on our own expenses.

"This is something all councillors wish was different.

"We are now part way through the financial year and when we set our budget we didn't make any allowance for a change in costs.

"Therefore it will remain unchanged for the remainder of the year.

"The recommendation of the panel, if accepted, will take effect from May 8 next year."

Mileage rates of 45 pence per mile will not change - nor will subsistence allowances for councillors who travel on council business.

The value of the increases has been determined by an independent remuneration panel led by chairman John Lyons.

The panel has recommended an increase for the last two years but the move was rejected by councillors in both occasions.

The total cost to the authority of councillors expenses once the new rates are paid will be £947,190.

Mr Young, who represents Upperby, added: "John Lyons has been very clear that he doesn't feel the allowances represent the amount of work that we do.

"It would be very easy to defer this until after the elections but this is the third time the panel has spoken to us about this issue and there comes a time when the council has to make a decision on it."