A row broke out over increases in councillors' allowances last night after Bradford Council voted to accept new recommendations.

Liberal Democrat group leader Jeanette Sunderland said the regulations on allowances were "nonsense".

She did not think the regulations were fair and was dismayed to see Conservative and Labour councillors vote through an increase in the telephone allowance.

The increases will see the council tax bill for elected representatives rise from £1.3 million to £1.6 million over the next two years.

Councils are now required by law to establish and maintain independent panels instead of setting allowances for themselves. Last night a meeting of the full Council at City Hall voted to accept the recommendations of the panel considering Bradford Council in full.

The most contentious issues included increasing the telephone allowance to £900 a year for each member and linking increases to inflation.

Councillor Sunderland's proposal for an assessment of the impact of the recommendations before they were accepted, was ignored.

After the meeting she said: "Any scheme of expenses should reflect the payment of costs incurred, not make a best guess on what everyone might spend. This approach leaves some people out of pocket and overcompensates others. Less active councillors are rewarded and those with a high case work load are penalised."

At the meeting, Councillor Anne Hawkesworth (Con, Ilkley) moved that the Council accept the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel in full and thanked it "for the consideration and attention it has given the review of members' allowances".

Labour group leader Ian Greenwood said after the meeting: "It is outrageous to start quibbling with this.

"The Government set up Independent Remuneration Panels. That is how the system works and we accept what it says."