COUNCILLORS have voted in favour of being able to join a gold-plated pension scheme.

Members of Exeter City Council, which has just cut £1.5m from its budget and made more than a dozen staff redundant to balance its books, were split evenly over whether to take part in the Local Government Pension Scheme which previously had been only open to staff.

Lord Mayor Councillor Paul Smith cast the deciding vote in favour of the measure.

Councillors can choose whether or not to opt into the scheme, which one expert told the Echo was one of the best available.

Taxpayers' money will be used by the authority each month to match contributions made by councillors, based on their allowances. If all councillors decided to join, it would cost the taxpayer around £50,000 in the first year.

The move has been criticised by the Taxpayers' Alliance and a group representing Devon pensioners.

But leading councillors have defended the decision.

Councillor Pete Edwards, a former leader of the council, who represents Whipton Barton, said: "To do your job as a councillor properly you need time off from work.

"If over 20 years you have a day off a week, it adds up to a sizeable portion of your pension.

"You shouldn't have to do council work and lose money off your pension. I am 63 so I won't be opting in — but my view is that for the young people they should be able to opt in."

Council leader Adrian Fullam voted against the measure and said he would not opt into the scheme.

But he said the move could encourage younger people to stand as councillors.

"It will be up to individual councillors if they choose to opt into the scheme," he said. "I am 36, I voted against it, have voted against it for the last five years and will not be opting in.

"My feeling is that I knew what I was getting involved in when I got elected.

"However, a number of younger councillors have recently stood down and not sought re-election in order to concentrate on their careers."

Cllr Fullam said the Independent Remuneration Panel has consistently recommended that councillors should be able to opt into the scheme.

Councillors can elect to join it, provided they are under 75 and are able to draw their pension from age 65.

They can elect to take the pension from age 60 but it would be at a reduced rate.

But Rob Hannaford, councillor for St Thomas, spoke out against the move.

He said: "I don't think that pensions for councillors is the right way forward.

"Indeed, during these difficult economic times, I think this sends out entirely the wrong message to our electors, many of whom are struggling to pay their bills and could even be facing unemployment."

Mark Wallace, campaign director for the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "I think this is utterly wrong for councillors to jump on the gravy train.

"Local government pensions are a huge financial burden for taxpayers when it is just staff that is involved, without any extra for councillors.

"This is a pension that is so generous that it would be unavailable to most of their constituents."

Colin Hadley, chairman of the Devon Pensioners' Action Forum, said: "This decision is extremely unfortunate because the city council is in a parlous state.

"I am sure our members will be very angry over this decision."

Exeter is the first district council in the region to allow councillors access to pensions. Both Mid Devon and East Devon district councils have rejected the proposal.

Karen Williams, of the Exeter City Unison branch, said: "I think that Unison would support their right to have access to the scheme. The work they do is of benefit to the council and the work that the council does."

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said around 40 per cent of councils offered access to the pension scheme.