THE LEADER of Southampton City Council has said he has no idea whether he is value for money after figures showed the taxpayer bill for councillors in Southampton has gone up by 18 per cent in the past year to £658,504.

The 48 councillors on the city council pocketed £640,503 in allowances and £7,597 in expenses for travel, food and overnight stays.

Most also claimed maximum allowances for telephone bills and broadband connections at home, an extra £264 each.

Council leader Alec Samuels declined to comment on the bill insisting councillors were responsible for the allowances they claimed.

Cllr Samuels abstained on voting for a revised scheme that increased the allowances for 2007/8, although he did claim his full amount - totalling £26,852.

He said: "I've no idea whether I'm good value for money or not. It's not for me to judge. I put in the hours I think are appropriate and do the work I feel is appropriate. I put in a good deal of time."

He added: "Electors decide whether they are satisfied or not."

Cllr Samuels said: " If I was running a business with 10,000 employees and a budget of half a billion I would imagine I would be somewhat more handsomely remunerated."

Labour councillor Jacqui Rayment claimed even more from the public purse than Cllr Samuels as a so-called "double hatter".

She took £12,529 in allowances from the city council and £23,645 as chairman of Hampshire Police Authority, a total of £35,904.

Deputy council leader and Cabinet member for economic development Royston Smith claimed the second highest allowances on the council of £18,805. He is also vice-chairman of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority where he picked up a further £9,305 in allowances, bringing his taxpayer bill to £28,110. Councillor Terry Matthews, whose former job as Cabinet member for "workforce planning" was criticised by opposition councillors over his workload because he only made recommendations over the necessity of hiring new council staff, claimed his full Cabinet member allowance of £7,389. Cllr Samuels said the criticism was unjustified. "He did a great deal of good in the taxpayers' interest," he said.

Councillors voted in a new allowance scheme in September, part way through the municipal year.

It was based around the basic allowance that can be claimed by all councillors of £10,650, which will go up with the minimum wage.

An independent pay panel had recommended even higher rises to bring Southampton into line with rates on comparable authorities.