Should councillors be paid to stand down next year?

Pembrokeshire rejected the idea on Thursday, but shortly afterwards Ceredigion backed it.

That meant that 13 councils have voted so far, with five in favour and eight against.

The remaining nine Welsh county councils will make their decision in coming days and weeks on whether to adopt the Welsh Assembly Government's proposal to give up to �20,000 to veteran councillors to stand next down at next year's election.

It is difficult to find a Labour AM who is willing to publicly justify the 'golden goodbyes' Conservative AM Glyn Davies

All 30 members of Pembrokeshire County Council who were eligible to vote rejected the idea.

No one was absent and nobody abstained. A total of 23 of the 60 Pembrokeshire councillors would have been eligible for the money.

The "past service" awards scheme was voted through the Welsh assembly last week by Labour members, although all opposition members objected.

Councillors with 16 years or more service have the option of being paid not to stand in 2004.

How councils have voted so far For: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan Against: Anglesey, Caerphilly, Denbighshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wrexham

First Minister Rhodri Morgan has said the assembly government never intended to force any councils to implement the scheme.

But opposition politicians have called on him abandon the idea.

'Fiasco'

Conservative local government spokesman Glyn Davies said:"It is difficult to find a Labour AM who is willing to publicly justify the 'golden goodbyes' which they and they alone forced on the people of Wales."

He said the "fiasco" was nothing to do with councils, but with Labour AMs and a handful of Labour barons who dominate the Welsh Local Government Association".

The Welsh Local Government Association has defended the scheme.

In a statement, it said: "It is now clearly a matter for individual local authorities to exercise local choice on whether or not they implement this scheme.

"Those who have vilified long-standing public servants as undeserving of such an award should perhaps reflect more carefully on the role of local councillors in regenerating their communities."

All of Wales' councils will meet individually to decide on whether to adopt the policy.

In councils which do implement it, long-serving members have until 20 November to decide whether or not to accept the payment and retire at the next local government elections in May or June next year.

However, critics claim the one-off initiative for the 2004 council elections is flawed as there is nothing to prevent councillors who take the money from standing again.