A bid to ban Shropshire councillors from claiming expenses for car journeys of two miles or under has been rejected.

The call was made at a full council meeting of Shropshire Council yesterday by Councillor Miles Kenny, who said that the move would be a good example of how the authority was tackling the problem of carbon emissions, and that councillors should look at alternative transport.

In an amendment to a report on councillors’ expenses, Councillor Kenny proposed that the ban should come into effect from January 1.

The councillor said the move would encourage councillors to look at alternative means of transport and said he was disappointed to see the council was to cut the mileage rate to councillors who used bikes in their council duties from 46p a mile to 40p a mile.

Speaking about his proposed amendment, he said: “This is a clear message that we are trying to reduce short distance travel.

“I was disappointed to see that the bike allowance is reduced. The whole reason we brought that in was to encourage alternative travel.”

The councillor said short distance travel was often worse for the environment than longer journeys.

He said: “Travelling short distances is not good for the environment.

“It is about carbon emissions. It is also about a healthy lifestyle. We have a very poor record of encouraging that.”

But Councillor Cecilia Motley said some councillors who did not enjoy the best of health would struggle to walk two miles.

She said: “You have to bear in mind there is some people who have great difficulty in getting here, even if it is just two miles.”

Councillor Martin Bennett said like many councillors he did not put in travel expenses claims for short journeys.He added that having a car helped councillors in their work in serving the community.

Councillor Bennett said he had to attend five different meetings the day before the meeting as part of his council duties and although he agreed councillors should set an example, he doubted if he would be able to get to the meetings on time.