“A MORAL conundrum”.

That’s the view of one of Bournemouth’s leading businessmen as the UK tries to work out just what makes bankers so special as to qualify for multi-million pound bonuses.

Barclays boss Bob Diamond and Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Stephen Hester are in line for payouts of £8 million and £3m respectively.

But just what do these bankers do that justifies such inordinate wealth?

“Nothing,” was the answer from Kathy Tilbury, managing director of Excelsior Coaches and president of the Dorset Chamber.

She added: “Bob Diamond’s bonus is twice the amount my business turns over in a year. The government has got to step in.

“We are the shareholders in RBS and we should be stepping in and taking control of the boardrooms.”

Beales’ managing director Tony Brown said comparing the pay of bank bosses and emergency services employees resulted in “a moral dilemma that’s been with us since time began”.

He added: “Banks such as HSBC that didn’t need government support should get what bonuses they’re entitled to. Banks are businesses and if they’re hitting their targets it’s not up to the public to cast anything over them.”

However Mr Brown said banks which received significant government help needed to consider “very carefully” any bonuses handed out.

Stephen Bath, joint managing director of Bath Travel, agreed such banks were “outrageous”.

He said: “It’s not so outrageous in the case of Barclays and those banks who didn’t need a government bailout but among the subsidised banks it’s rather like the MPs’ expenses all over again.”

Nigel Hedges, president of the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade, said: “If you could get that amount of money you would and then use the money to assuage your guilty feeling. When things pick up, and they will, people will remember the banks that looked after them.”