THE leader of Wiltshire Council has defended herself after questions were raised over how much time she spends away from the county since her appointment to the House of Lords.

Baroness Jane Scott, who became leader in 2009, joined the House of Lords last October but the move left many asking questions as to how she would split her time.

Figures show that since she joined the Lords, she has been present to vote in more than 95 per cent of votes there (91 of 106) – well above average for a member of the house.

During that time she attended 60 per cent of the Wiltshire Council meetings (28 of 46) she was expected at.

When Baroness Scott joined the House of Lords, some council meetings in Wiltshire were re-scheduled to allow for her to travel to London to attend meetings.

Over the first seven months since she joined, Baroness Scott attended the Lords on 68 occasions (roughly two or three every week), drawing £18,600 in daily allowances and £3,605 in travel-related expenses.

This is on top of the £51,000 she received for her responsibilities with Wiltshire Council from 2015/16.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Wiltshire Council, Councillor Glenis Ansell, said Baroness’ decision to continue both roles was “insulting” to the county’s residents.

“I think it’s unfortunate that’s she’s spending so much time in the Lords,” she said. “We have so much to do in Wiltshire. I don’t believe you can do both roles. We just lost one of the chief executives at the council.

“It’s insulting when we have so many people who are struggling to make ends meet and going to food banks, when someone is effectively giving time to do two full-time jobs and claiming an enormous amount of expenses – all at a time when the council are just about to reduce council tax support.

“We have early meetings so she can get away to London which makes it difficult for councillors in the south of the county.”

When asked if she felt Baroness Scott should step down from her role, Cllr Ansell said it was a question for “her conscience”.

In response, Baroness Scott of Bybrook said: “Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I am in County Hall between 8-8.30am, and leave between 1-2pm to attend the House of Lords or other meetings in Westminster.

“Depending on the business of the day, I usually arrive back home in Wiltshire between 11pm and midnight on each of these days.

“I do not attend the House of Lords on Thursdays and Friday and these days, in addition to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, and on a regular basis Saturday and Sundays, are spent on council business.

“My attendance at the House of Lords, and other London based meetings, is managed to ensure that I do attend the key meetings at Wiltshire Council and that I am able to raise issues relating to Wiltshire’s business, policies and the allocation of funding with the appropriate ministers, and make a difference to the provision of local services and infrastructure in our county.”

Independent Wiltshire councillor George Jeans said it was an advantage having Baroness Scott in a “position of power”, saying: “It’s good to have contacts that go right to the top.”