Wiltshire Council will conduct no further inquiries into staff morale despite calls for a review.

Independent councillor Jeff Osborn led calls for a probe after 252 redundancies were announced last year while bosses were given pay rises of up to 16 per cent.

Leader Jane Scott rejected the calls at Tuesday’s oversight and scrutiny committee blaming any low morale on outside criticism of the council and political infighting.

She said: “I talk to more staff than anybody and they are fed up with this council being pulled apart in the press and with councillors criticising their work.

“Officers feel it’s not good enough when they get constant niggles.

“We are very good at throwing bricks, but not good at giving bouquets.”

Liberal Democrat leader Jon Hubbard said sickness rates among staff were falling, showing that morale was getting better.

He added: “We don’t want to create a spiral of decline where we are telling our staff their morale is getting worse.”