TAXPAYERS had to fork out almost £200,000 for Worcester’s 35 councillors during the last year, according to new figures.

The total bill for allowances and expenses for the city’s elected politicians came to £199,811 – the highest figure on record.

The city had to pay out £2,362 on travel and subsistence, money claimed back for costs associated with attending meetings or conferences.

The allowances were frozen last year and will be once again for 2012/13, meaning the total bill was just £111 higher than 12 months ago.

Allowances have been frozen for four of the last five years, but there was a controversial 6.4 per cent rise in 2010.

The best paid politician was leader Councillor Simon Geraghty, who earned £14,731 – a figure which included no travel claims at all.

The biggest travel claimer was the city’s Mayor David Tibbutt, who received £812 as part of a total yearly sum of £5,575 but that was because he has to get himself to engagements without the help of a personal driver.

He said: “It’s hard to compare my role to other councillors because the money for the mayor comes from a different pot.

“I haven’t got a driver and if I have to travel somewhere I use my own car, I’ve been to Exeter, London, and places like Hereford and Tewkesbury.

“Without any party political emphasis at all, I think councillors in Worcester provide good value for money.”

The next biggest travel claimers were Councillor Roger Knight, the cabinet member for cleaner and greener, who got £405, former councillor Mike Layland, who claimed £387 before he stepped down two weeks ago, and Councillor Roger Berry, who got £213.

Only 13 of the 35 councillors claimed any travel at all.

Mr Layland said: “The first five years of being a councillor I lost £6,000 taking time off work to get to meetings.

“Now we’ve got meetings at night that’s changed. Allowances were created to attract better people to the job, it’s right and proper to have them because if a councillor does the job properly, you’re never in pocket whatsoever. I haven’t made anything from it.”

Margaret Layland claimed £24 for mileage despite cycling to meetings. She said: “We can’t claim for the telephone or shoe leather, it’s literally travel costs to meetings.

“We all get 20p a mile, I like to set an example by cycling, but I can still claim for it.

“People think you’re well paid because they see MPs’ rates, but it’s not, for the amount of hours councillors put in it’s ridiculous.”

The basic rate was £3,990, with extra tops for special responsibilities such as sitting in the cabinet, being leader or chairing committees.

• For the full table of claimants see today's print edition of the Worcester News.