But those in his office say Coun David Greenwood’s dedication to his role and the charities he supports make him worth the money.

In Leamington Town Council’s draft budget, released in January, the mayor’s expenses between 2007 and 2008 were £8,140.

This is £1,980 more than the mayor of Rugby’s claim for the same period and £4,780 more than the mayor of Warwick’s.

And the mayor of Banbury’s expenses were £3,729 less than Coun Greenwood’s.

Leamington town clerk Robert Nash said: “It is true to say that the mayor of Leamington receives an allowance higher than the majority of parish and town councils. Just how it compares with all other towns in the parish sector I could not say without conducting significant research - however, Leamington, with a population of 45,000, is one of the very largest towns in the parish sector.”

Speaking on behalf of Coun Greenwood, who was away as the Courier went to print, Mr Nash explained Leamington has an ‘excellent record of hard working mayors’ and that the role was ‘popular with the town’.

He said: “This is reflected in the very large number of local engagements that the mayor attends.

“This year David Greenwood has attended over 300 engagements and raised in excess of £26,000 for his charities.”

And to defend Coun Greenwood’s expenses he said: “It is important to the town council that no councillor should be excluded from taking up the office of mayor for financial reasons.

“It is a demanding job requiring a considerable commitment of time.”

The town clerk also explained how this year’s mayoral expenses did not represent a price hike for Leamington residents.

“The mayor's annual allowance is no greater now than 30 years ago.

“As a percentage of the total budget the mayoral allowance has fallen from around 15 per cent ten years ago to three per cent this year.”

Banbury town council’s clerk Mark Hassall said that the expenses of its mayor, Coun Kieron Mallon, amounted to £4,681 from a possible allowance of £11,000.

And like Coun Greenwood the Banbury Mayor, who makes around £10,000 for his chosen charities a year, attends an average of 300 engagements annually.

But the clerk explained how the expenses of each mayor could differ with individual circumstances.

He added: “This particular mayor has spent considerably less than his budget but in previous years the whole allowance has been used.”

On hearing the figure for Coun Greenwood’s expenses the mayor of Warwick Coun Martin Ashford said: "It's a surprise, but I know the amount can vary a lot.

“For instance, you would expect a big borough mayor like Rugby to have a larger allowance.”

Coun Ashford, whose expenses came to £3,360 last year, explained that the position of mayor is very important to a town - and people do not take on the job to make money.

The Warwick mayor also said that he works full-time and takes some unpaid absence to fulfil commitments.