At an East Riding Council meeting on Wednesday, Conservative councillors voted in favour of giving the 25 per cent discount, worth £450, to someone in a Band D property.

Where there are two specials in the same household they will be able to claim a 50 per cent discount.

Independent Group Leader Councillor Barbara Jefferson, said it was unfair to single out special constables and the matter should be reviewed by a scrutiny committee first.

Lifeboat volunteers should have also been considered for a discount, Opposition councillors say Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

But her amendment failed to win backing from the majority Tory group.

Coun Jefferson said: “How can we expect to face our brave volunteers, both on sea and land, when we are apparently selecting one group of volunteers as being more deserving than another without proper consultation and full debate?”

Coun Jefferson represents Hornsea, which has an independent lifeboat service, provided by Hornsea Inshore Rescue, a registered charity since 1994.

She added: "The Hornsea inshore lifeboat is absolutely imperative because it goes out to sea at any time, day or night to rescue people, and they don't know when they set out what they will find when they get there and how dangerous it is.

"They do it all as volunteers - why are we not looking at people like that?"

Liberal Democrat group leader David Nolan said the scheme was not “thought through”.

The scheme will run as a one-year pilot and will be referred to a scrutiny committee.

The move to offer a discount to special constables is part of an effort to drive up numbers.

Humberside Police wants to bring numbers up to around 250 over the next three years.

They have fallen to around 140, with many transferring to become regular officers. There are around 29 specials living in the East Riding.

Special constables living in Hull and North East Lincolnshire already get a discount.

Council tax discount for special constables is 'slap in the face to lifeboat volunteers'