Town councillors in Patchway have decided to axe their £1,000 a year allowance, only a year after it was introduced.

The allowance was voted in last year in an attempt to attract younger councillors. But with the country in recession, the 18 councillors have decided that it is inappropriate for them to keep receiving the money.

The suggestion to withdraw the allowance was made by the Lib Dem members and agreed by the other parties.

Lib Dem councillor Jan Woodley said she had been outraged when the allowance was introduced.

Ms Woodley, 58, said: "I and other members of the council were outraged when the vote was carried last year.

"Not only did we have to increase the precept to cover the bill of around £18,000 but we were in the ludicrous position of paying two Tory councillors £1,000 each when they were giving their services to Bradley Stoke Town Council, of which they were also members, for free."

She added: "Ditching the payments was the right decision for Patchway. These are difficult times for our residents and we will be looking at ways to cut even more from our budget to keep any rise in the precept to an absolute minimum."

One of the Conservative councillors who is also on Bradley Stoke Town Council is Brian Hopkinson.

Councillor Hopkinson, 61, said: "I suggested two weeks ago that the allowance should be reduced by 20 per cent, but the suggestion had apparently already been made to scrap it altogether.

"I am happy for it to have been cut, because the economy has gone downhill. But I am concerned that by cutting this at the moment it is not doing much – this money may just be left in the council, and not go back to the people."