Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott has twice signed a petition calling for her own resignation.

The online petition, begun by campaigner Paul Gaunt, is calling for her to quit over the controversial rise in councillors’ allowances last month.

But Coun Scott has questioned the validity of the petition, which has more than 2,000 signatures.

She said: “I was surprised to get an email thanking me for signing and asking if I’d like to take part in a protest.

“It is obviously someone who has signed with my name and email but it shows how robust it is.”

Mr Gaunt, of Broughton Gifford, said: “If Jane Scott wants to write to me I would be happy to remove her from the petition. This is a widely used system but if someone has added Jane as a joke or something like that I would be happy to remove her and this applies to anyone who may have had a change of mind and wants to be removed from the petition.”

Meanwhile independent councillor Jeff Osborn was forced this week into a U-turn after requesting an extraordinary meeting of the council to debate the allowances again.

The meeting was scheduled for Christmas Eve but Coun Osborn withdrew his request, saying he didn’t want to make council staff work that day.

Coun Scott said he hadn’t received the necessary five emails of support from fellow councillors anyway.

The matter will now be discussed at February’s full council meeting – if Coun Osborn can get ten councillors to support the motion.

Coun Scott said: “We had six officers working on arranging the meeting. That will have wasted money.”