LIBERAL Democrat chiefs have put forward plans to slash councillors’ allowances in a bid to help the council save £300,000.

Bolton Council is being forced to make cuts or savings of £36 million next year, with just £15 million of those already identified.

Cllr Roger Hayes, leader of the town’s Lib Dem group, has now identified a number of savings he believes could help the council balance the books over the next two years.

He says the party is proposing to cut the basic allowance paid to all councillors by five per cent — a drop of £554.10 — and cut the special responsibility allowances — which are paid to the leaders, deputy leaders, executive members and committee chairmen — by 10 per cent.

Cllr Cliff Morris, as council leader, would see his special responsibility allowance cut by £2,978, while executive members would have their allowances cut by £1,165.90.

This, Cllr Hayes claims, would save more than £56,000 per year.

He said: “At a time when many staff will be at risk of losing their jobs, we feel that councillors should also take a share of the pain.”

Other cuts suggested by the Lib Dems include reducing the number of executive members from 10 to seven, to save a further £44,000, and scrapping Bolton Scene.

Cllr Hayes said: “We have also suggested further savings for the following year — 2012/13 — including a return to a slimmeddown committee system, which we believe could save at least £85,000, and a reduction in the number of polling stations for the elections, saving about £11,000.

“All these ideas could be easily implemented, they would have little effect on the level of service given to residents, and would not mean any job losses.”

But Cllr Nick Peel, a member of the Labour executive, said: “If this is all they can come up with then we have to ask if they are taking this serious.

We have asked both parties to give us some assistance but what the Lib Dems are offering is just peanuts.

“I don’t think they or the Tories fully understand the magnitude of the problems we are facing.”