The council delayed a decision on alterations to its allowances after the leader described some of the changes as "unpalatable".

It comes after the conclusion of a review by academic Declan Hall and the members of an Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP).

Currently all councillors receive an annual allowance of £11,848, or around £1,000 a month, while some councillors in some roles receive an additional allowance called a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA).

Whilst the review concluded the annual allowance is comparable to the rest of Greater Manchester, and not in need of a change, it concluded the additional allowance is, in certain cases, not an appropriate amount.

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Significantly it recommended all cabinet members should receive an SRA of £12,796, an increase of around 76 per cent, at an extra cost of tens of thousands of pounds to the authority and therefore to the taxpayer.

The aim is to bring the borough back in line with the rest of Greater Manchester where the median allowance for cabinet members is more than £16,000.

But at a meeting at the town hall this week leader Nick Peel described some of the changes as "unpalatable".

He recommended the issue is discussed at a leaders' meeting and brought before the council when it reconvenes next month. Others agreed and the council delayed a decision on alterations to its allowances until then.

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Cllr Peel said: "I am going to propose we don't accept this report as it stands. What I am going to propose is to take this to a leaders' meeting. 

"My intention is to reduce the rise to a lower figure but I don't want to give a lower figure because I want it to be a discussion between us all. 

"There is evidence [the cabinet members] are the lowest paid in Greater Manchester but this doesn't mean to say we go with the rise which is recommended.

"I think the sensible course of action is we don't accept this recommendation, we take this to the leaders' meeting, then we bring it back once we have thrashed something out which is more palatable."

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.