Lib Dems to oppose AMs' £10,000 pay rise in vote

The Liberal Democrats have said they will vote against the assembly's administration budget in protest at a £10,000 pay increase for AMs.

An independent board has recommended a pay rise from 2016 to £64,000 - despite objections from some AMs.

The Assembly Commission wants its budget to rise from £50.9m in 2015 to £52m in 2016, partly to cover the increased salary costs.

Other parties rejected Lib Dem calls to vote against the budget on Wednesday.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said: "I wouldn't be able to look my constituents in the eye knowing that I didn't properly fight against a pay rise for AMs."

The Assembly Commission runs day-to-day administration in Cardiff Bay, including responsibility for AMs' pay.

A Plaid spokeswoman said: "Changes to assembly member salaries are decided by an independent body in an independent process, and therefore the commission should be able to implement the recommendations of that body."

The spokeswoman added that individual AMs would "make their own decisions on whether to accept the pay rise".

The Conservatives said it was "shameless politics" from Lib Dems in "desperate pursuit of a headline", as voting down the budget would not stop the pay increase.

A Tory spokesman said AMs had a "legal obligation" to pass the independent board's recommendation.

"In fact, the only people who would lose out are the ordinary hardworking people in and around the assembly whose jobs could be threatened if the budget is voted down," the spokesman added.

A Labour group spokesman said although the party objected to the pay plans, it "called for a rethink" at the "proper time and place".

"Tomorrow's vote is not just about AMs, it is about all the staff who work for the assembly and to plunge them into uncertainty for the sake of a headline seems wrong and rash," he said.