Petition sparks a 'war of words'

Mr Lock has asked fellow Labour party members and other supporters to sign his Westminster petition protesting at "snouts in the trough" Wyre Forest District Council.

He said he acted after receiving a postbag full of complaints about the hike, which is part of Labour Government policy and was agreed at last month's full council meeting.

Reflecting on the rise, which will cost council taxpayers an extra £114,000 a year, Mr Lock added: "The KTC 1 development plan is stalled, there is no movement on the quality bus partnership and the council provides no funding to organisations like Victim Support but pays its leader £200 per week for a part-time job."

However, he was blasted by Mr Oborski, who devotes 47 hours a week to council duties and last week said he would take a 50 per cent cut in his annual entitlement of £10,000.

He said: "This petition from Mr Lock indicates breathtaking hypocrisy and humbug.

"The new payment scheme stems directly the local government modernisation programme which is being pushed through by the Labour Government, of which Mr Lock is a junior minister.

"They want councillors to receive higher payments in order to encourage a wider range of people to become councillors."

He added: "All Labour councils across the country are voting for similar and in many cases far higher payments for their members.

"I have no opposition to a full public debate on the issue of payments to councillors and have made my position perfectly clear."

Mr Lock refuted the latter claim and said Labour-controlled councils in other Midlands areas including Redditch and Dudley had not voted in favour of such pay increases.

He said: "In Birmingham, for example, the council leader is entitled to £2,000 compared to Mr Oborski's original £10,000, even though Wyre Forest District Council's total budget is less than 0.5 per cent of Birmingham's."