Members of the Welsh assembly have voted to raise their pay by £1500 as a reward for working harder than planned.

The vote on Thursday afternoon takes the pay for AMs to £38,000. The new award is also in addition to the £1000 pay increase that the assembly members received in April.

While a two-thirds majority was required for the motion to be passed, the final decision was unanimous.

The recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Board also made it easier for some AMs to benefit from housing allowances.

In addition, those who hold office in the assembly benefit from additional salaries. The first secretary gets £68,158 a year, the assembly secretary, presiding officer and leader of the main opposition each get £35,357, the deputy presiding officer receives £22,145 and the chairs of assembly committees receive an additional £5150.