FIRE chiefs have refused to bow to pressure to cut their personal expenses.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Authority bosses have ignored a recommendation to cut their 25-member panel’s expenses bill by freezing allowances and slashing mileage rates to bring them in line with the national figure.

Taxpayers’ representatives have branded the decision “outrageous”.

An independent pay review panel found that other fire authorities paid lower travel expenses, and as a result recommended that mileage rates be cut from 53.3p per mile to the official HM Revenue and Customs rate of 40p. They also said that allowances should be frozen pending a review next summer.

However, authority chairman Michael Cartwright rejected both suggestions. Instead, he proposed that members’ basic and special responsibility allowances increase from April 1 in line with other fire authorities across the country. The increase on the basic allowance, which currently stands at £2,865, would be decided next April.

‘Fair suggestion’ Cllr Cartwright also said that mileage rates should remain as they are.

Last month, Hampshire County Councillors refused to accept similar recommendations to curb their allowances bill, unless council staff did the same.

Cllr Cartwright said: “The alterations are in line with decisions taken by Hampshire County Council. I feel it’s a fair suggestion.”

He gave his backing to two recommendations from the pay panel – the special responsibility allowances paid to the chairman and vice-chairman of the standards committee will be cut from £3,441 to £1,944 and £858 to £486.

The authority’s board unanimously approved Cllr Cartwright’s recommendations.

Mark Wallace, campaign director at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “It is outrageous that these perfectly reasonable proposals to reduce allowances have been ignored.”