FOREST councillors voted unanimously to freeze their basic allowance payments at a meeting on Thursday.
The Independent Renumeration Panel recommended that the basic allowance be increased by 2.45 per cent from £4,100 a year to £4,200, but councillors overruled the recommendation.
The basic allowance is money paid to every elected councillor for their services on the council. The payment is intended to ensure no one is excluded from standing for council for financial reasons.
IRP chair John Evans said: "Last year we put forward an ambitious renumeration package and there was strong feeling about this.
"This year we have taken into consideration the financial problems that the country is facing and that the council is facing especially in our recommendations.
"It has taken four years to build the basic allowance to a fair and reasonable level – and that is what it is – fair and reasonable, not generous by any sense of imagination."
But council leaders rejected it because of the economic climate.
Council leader Cllr Marion Winship (Con) said: "In these times when people are struggling to keep their jobs and their homes, it would be inappropriate for us to take any increase at all. Currently the basic allowance is broadly in line with other councils."
Labour leader Bruce Hogan said: "These are not normal times. People are losing their jobs, working an extra day to keep their firms going.
"An increase of 2.5per cent works out at roughly £100 a year, which is about £2 a week for members, I think it is important to show some sort of solidarity."