Almost two thirds of councillors in Wrexham voted against cuts to senior salaries.

Members’ remuneration was discussed at a packed full council meeting at the Guildhall where councillors were given the opportunity to adopt lower pay levels for senior positions including the mayor, deputy mayor and committee chairmen.

The recommendation had been put forward by Cllr Malcolm King, the democratic services committee.

If approved, executive board members’ pay would have been slashed from £29,100 to 26,200 while committee chairs would have seen a reduction from £22,100 to £20,100.

The mayor’s salary would have dropped from £21,600 to £19,100 while the deputy mayor would take home £14,100 instead of £16,100.

The move would have saved the council £41,700 per year – about £200,000 spread over the next five years.

But council leader Mark Pritchard asked fellow councillors to wait until the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales reported back to the council in December or January before taking a decision on pay.

His amendment was put to the vote and passed by 31 votes to 16.