HOPES of giving 170 of the lowest paid council workers in Worcestershire a decent day’s pay are in tatters after politicians critcised the idea.

During a debate at County Hall, a key committee said it was costly, complicated and beset by pitfalls.

This came despite an angry response from the leader of the county’s Liberal Democrats, who said the authority was “dooming itself to failure” and suggested some politicians want it to fail.

At the moment the 170 staff, which includes cleaners, care staff and clerical assistants, earn below the ‘living wage’ of £7.45 an hour.

Last November the Lib Dems raised a motion calling for the workers to get the salary, which would cost taxpayers £240,000 extra a year.

The idea was put back until it could be debated by the resources panel during a meeting on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Bridget Clark, HR service centre manager, said including pensions, sick pay and other benefits, all 170 workers currently get more than £7.45 an hour from the public purse.

Despite it being slated by Councillor Liz Tucker, who said pension contributions were not “cash in their pockets”, the rest of the committee agreed with the stance.

Councillor Pam Davey said: “Who is to say what an individual family needs for their living costs anyway? We are being blinded by science. “The living wage is trying to squeeze people’s needs into a neat calculation, and it doesn’t really work.

“I don’t know how you can come up with one figure that supposedly fits all.”

Coun Stephen Peters, vice-chairman of the resources panel, said: “The question I’ve got is, should we really be looking to compensate people for Government cuts in benefits at a time of austerity?”

The feedback was criticised by Coun Tucker, who said many politicians were against it from the start.

“We are dooming ourselves to failure here, which is maybe what some people want,” she said.

But David Thain, the cabinet member for change, said: “Some councils have wide variations in council tax charges, so on that basis should one single living wage be accepted for all?”

The living wage is an independently calculated, voluntary basic rate all employers are encouraged to adopt.

So far 19 councils across the UK have agreed it, including Liverpool and Newcastle. It differs from the Government’s minimum wage of £6.19 an hour, which is a legal entitlement.

Feedback from the resources panel will be sent to full council.