A row has broken out over the people chosen to serve on watchdog bodies monitoring the pay and conduct of local councillors.

All eight are from the professional classes, ranging from a property lawyer to marketing consultant, retired businessman to managing director.

But councillors from minority groups on West Oxfordshire District Council are not happy with the selections. They say there is no voice for "the ordinary man or woman in the street".

Labour's Ted Cooper said: "There's no excuse for it at all. There's a major group of people missing here. It's flawed.

"It's all professional people. That was not the intention and so far we have received no explanation as to why there's no cross-section of the public."

It is not the first time there has been controversy over one of the key issues involved -- councillors' pay.

There was public outcry last spring, when, as part of the switch to a new cabinet-led council, councillors voted themselves a 350 per cent increase in their allowances budget.

In next year's budget, £320,000 has been earmarked, compared with £80,000 two years ago.

The new independent remuneration panel was selected by the council's chief executive, Geoff Bonner, and finance director Vic Allison.

The five members are: Michael Taylor, a retired chartered surveyor, from Woodstock, Dr Michael Holgate, a former university lecturer, from Freeland, Jo Capek, a computer consultant, from Cassington, Andrew Shaw, a property lawyer, from Charlbury, and Alfred Popper, a former petrol company businessman from Cumnor Hill.

A total of 19 people applied. Mr Bonner said: "We tried to get a balance from the people who applied.

"We also wanted people with open minds. Those who disagreed with the new system of local government we obviously rejected."

Three members of the public have also been selected to serve on the new standards committee monitoring the conduct of councillors.

They are: Philip Walker, a group legal manager for an international software company, from Bampton, Stuart Harrison, a consultant in the leisure and hospitality industry, from Witney, and Margaret Thompson, managing director of a plant hire company, from Witney.

Independent councillor Ann Cooper protested against the selections by having her vote recorded against them in the council minutes.