Almost £40,000 in taxpayers' cash could go into providing pensions for councillors.

Lincolnshire's biggest council is reconsidering allowing elected members to opt into its pension scheme.

Lincolnshire County Council currently pays out around £200,000 a year in allowances covering attendance and special responsibilities.

But no councillors are allowed to opt into the authority's pension scheme. That could be about to change.

The council's independent remuneration panel, which sets allowances, is to be asked to look again at allowing members to contribute to the scheme.

Lincolnshire Echo 17 May 2007

UKIP's Lincoln City Chairman, Nick Smith, said today:

"We believe this is 'A BILL TOO FAR' for the hard pressed local taxpayers of Lincolnshire, UKIP County Council candidates when elected would not join this scheme, even if it were introduced.
We as a Party would campaign against these self-serving ideas, only the three large parties have the gall to tell you, that, 'they want to serve you' and then come up this kind of abuse of their position.
We notice that this idea is being worked on once the elections are over and certainly not before, this just shows why the electorate don't give a damm about local elections and especially about local politicians."