Pay panel recommends £1k hike in Devon councillor allowances

The three-strong panel is suggesting an increase of more than seven per cent, taking the basic rate to nearly £15,100 from May.

The jump, from just over £14,000, is being proposed because of the cost-of-living crisis, a belief that higher remuneration could help attract a more diverse range of councillors, and to reflect the significant workload.

The proposed changes will be put to a vote at full council later this month.

It was explained that the payment is an allowance, not a salary.

That is a vital distinction, according to the pay panel’s chair, Heather Morgan, who is a tribunal judge, as it means there is no pension entitlement.

“That came as a surprise to some newer members, which is why one of our recommendations is to highlight to people who are exploring the possibility of standing for election what the terms and conditions are,” she told Devon County Council’s procedures committee.

Beyond the basic allowance, some councillors receive special responsibility allowances for chairing committees or holding leadership positions.

Leader John Hart’s (Conservative, Bickleigh & Wembury) basic allowance will rise to £37,705 if the proposals are accepted, as the post receives a multiplier effect of 2.5 times the basic allowance.

Cllr Hart, who sits on the committee, abstained from the vote to support the recommendations.

He acknowledged that he had pushed for allowances to be frozen up until 2017, but that when they became “distorted” he realised “how far we had dropped back compared to others” and he appreciated the need for them to rise.

The panel noted it had “consistently recommended rises” up until 2017, but that these had not been implemented, and so it was “pleased” its recommendations had been accepted since.

The only committee chair who could see their multiplier rise under the new proposals is the audit committee chair, which could attract a 0.5 multiplier (equal to £7,541 if the change is agreed), up from a quarter of a percentage point

The panel said it had compared Devon’s basic allowance to other councils in the south west, and that even after the proposed rise, it would be broadly in line with Wiltshire Council (£15,004), but still behind Cornwall Council (£17,681), Somerset Council (£15,500) and Bristol City Council (£15,169).

The panel, which also includes Bryony Houlden, chief executive of South West Councils, and Steve Barriball, former chief executive of Citizens Advice, Exeter, also highlighted that councillors receive abuse and intimidation.

“While the 7.5 per cent figure may well cause eyebrows to raise, it was achieved using the formula we have applied for many years,” chair Heather Morgan said.

“We did look at other figures, as we appreciate it seems like a large rise, but we have stuck with it because if you have a benchmark that has worked in the past, then it seems strange to abandon it.”

She added the benchmark is representative of the “wider community”, not just local authority staff pay, because councillors come from a variety of backgrounds and hold down jobs in various sectors alongside their council responsibilities.

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Caroline Leaver (Barnstaple South), noted that if the council wanted a representative elected chamber, then it needed to ensure the opportunity to become a councillor was “not only for people who can afford it”.

She continued: “The allowances we get are not going to be the thing that makes people think they want to choose being a councillor as a career,” she said.

“If you are better off, then perhaps the allowances don ‘t matter, but if you are a younger person and have kids at home, then these allowances make a difference about whether you can access the opportunity of being a councillor.”