Extra £240,000 agreed in Caerphilly council pay row

Anthony O'Sullivan, Nigel Barnett and Daniel Perkins initially faced a police probe into their pay rise

Councillors have agreed to spend an extra £242,000 on an investigation into pay rises for senior officers.

Labour, Plaid Cymru and Independent councillors clashed over the probe involving Caerphilly council's former chief executive Anthony O'Sullivan.

The investigation, which began in 2013, will have cost taxpayers £4.1m by 2019.

Proposals for more cash for Mr O'Sullivan's salary and legal costs were moved by the council's deputy leaders "with the utmost regret".

Mr O'Sullivan was suspended, along with his deputy Nigel Barnett and the head of legal services Daniel Perkins, after the Wales Audit Office declared their pay rises were unlawful.

It was claimed they agreed to give themselves a 20% increase when most other council staff faced pay freezes.

The long-running investigation was branded a "debacle" during a full council meeting

Criminal charges against the three men were dropped in 2015 and Mr Barnett and Mr Perkins left their jobs in October 2017 with compensation payouts between them of nearly £300,000.

But Mr O'Sullivan has yet to reach agreement with the council and remains on special leave.

Deputy leader Barbara Jones said: "I, like everyone else, am frustrated by situation we find ourselves in as I fully expected would be concluded long before now."

Independent group leader Kevin Etheridge's attempts to pass an amendment asking for further funding to cease failed as he was told the authority was bound by statutory process, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Colin Mann, leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: "The chief beneficiaries in this debacle are the legal profession closely followed by the chief protagonist."

Council leader David Poole said: "I would never apologise for making sure this council complies with legislation."

The cash includes £108,000 towards Mr O'Sullivan's salary and £134,000 towards legal costs.