Tory councillors at Staffordshire County Council paid "peanuts" have lost their fight for more money.

They claimed intensive workload, community engagement and additional responsibilities should result in them getting a special allowance.

Currently, councillors are paid a basic allowance, with some entitled to a special responsibility payment for undertaking additional roles.

The current basic allowance is £11,533.91.

The additional payments range from £44,742.26 for council leader to £3,406.01 for Chair of the Police, Fire and Crime Panel.

However, under the current rules only the leader and deputy leader are entitled to the additional payment of £22,371.13 and £7,606.31, respectively.

The opposition Conservatives asked the independent remuneration panel to look at their claims and see if they should be paid more.

They claimed that increased workload and a wish to return to the historic norm was behind the request.

The independent panel found that, out of 15 comparison councils, only one had a special allowance for shadow cabinet members and that they are not universally recognised.

However, it expressed support for reinstatement of the payment.

Cllr Catherine Brown, who claimed to be the shadow cabinet member for communities and rural affairs, despite the role not shadowing a cabinet member, said she was not expecting any money.

She listed all of the current responsibilities including food farming education, working with school groups, being a member of two quarry groups and being a trustee of a charity.

She then stated: "I have another job as well and I'm still balancing it all and the current money we are getting is peanuts."

The independent panel recommended that the special responsibility allowance be made available to up to three shadow cabinet members at a rate of £2,143.90.

Council leader Martin Murray called on his fellow councillors to vote down the recommendation.

He added that the Conservatives removed the provision for the allowance in 2021.

In 2021 there were just four, later five opposition councillors compared to the current 11.

Councillor Alex Farrell commented: "If we are rejecting the independence of it now, if it comes around and possibly recommends more money for the controlling group.

"I just think we should remember this day.

"It's my view that councils should always accept independent advice, whether it's for or against something they wish for.

"So I think we should urge caution."

Last year, several changes were made to the allowance scheme, including making it easier to claim the cost of a taxi and bringing in allowances for the chair and vice-chair of the charities and trusts committee

Cllr Victoria Wilson said she does the work and should be paid for it.

She told councillors: "We're not just looking at the reports and saying, 'yes, I like that or no I don't'.

"We also have to scrutinise the decisions of the cabinet as well.

"For my part I feel that we do the work, why not reflect that in the SRA, the one you voted on for yourself last year."

Ultimately, the recommendations of the independent remuneration panel were not supported as Reform UK councillors voted against them.

This means that the current system, in which only the leader and deputy leader of the opposition group will have a further allowance will stay in place.