Councillors vote for allowance increase

An allowance increase for Shropshire councillors has been voted through despite calls from the Labour group to delay the changes for a year because of the pandemic.

The basic members’ allowance which all 74 councillors receive will rise from £11,514 to £12,000, with larger increases for the council leader, deputy leader and some committee chairmen.

The changes, put forward by an independent remuneration panel, first went before the council in February but members deferred a decision until after the election to allow the new cohort to have a say.

The previous panel quit three years ago when its recommendations were thrown out, and new council leader Lezley Picton said it had taken “considerable time” to appoint a new panel.

She said: “It has been a fair process and I propose that the changes contained within this report are approved.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Andy Boddington proposed an amendment, that any future changes to the basic allowance be calculated in line with annual increases in council staff’s pay.

He said this was to “take the argument out of the basic allowance”, leaving the independent panel to focus on the special responsibility allowances, which councillors in senior roles get. These are worked out as multiples of the basic allowance.

Members voted in support of the amendment. Councillor Boddington said after the meeting: “The annual debacle of councillors fighting over their allowances is now at an end.

“There will still be debates over the special allowances but that is right and proper.”

A further amendment was tabled by Councillor Kevin Pardy on behalf of the Labour group, proposing the changes not be implemented until next year.

He said: “In a time of financial turmoil for the country, job losses, business losses, pay cuts, minimal pay and furlough how can we accept a five per cent allowance increase?

“I don’t believe we can, morally we cannot.

“I thank those who have arrived at the recommendations before us but I ask that any increase in allowances are deferred and discussed again in 12 months time when hopefully people are getting back on their feet financially.

“I believe it would be morally wrong not to.”

Councillor Pardy’s amendment failed to win support, and the council voted for the changes to be implemented.

Following the meeting, Labour group leader Alan Mosley said: “We are proud to have put this amendment forward.

“We hope in doing so we reflected the views of the vast majority of people – that councillors, at this time, given the state of the economy and the impact on people’s lives – should not be voting ourselves increases in pay.”

In line with the report’s recommendations, Councillor Picton’s additional leader’s allowance ‘multiplier’ will increase from two to 2.25, which, when added to the basic allowance, takes her total pay from £34,542 to £39,000.

Deputy leader Steve Charmley will see his multiplier increase from 1.25 to 1.5, representing a rise in total pay from £25,907 to £30,000.

But not all roles will see an increase – with the extra allowance for the council chairman Vince Hunt and deputy cabinet members to be cut.

The amount councillors can claim to cover the cost of paying for care of a dependant child or adult while carrying out council business will also be increased, to attract “younger and more diverse” councillors.