Councillors reject 1.5% rise in allowance pay

Members of a council have voted against increasing their annual allowances despite advice from an independent panel.

Councillors from North Northamptonshire Council voted at a full meeting on Thursday to reject a proposed 1.5% rise in the amount given to councillors.

The recommendation, brought forward by an independent remuneration panel, would have increased the basic allowance by £230 a year to £15,614.55.

The leader of the Reform UK-led local authority, Martin Griffiths, said he did not believe it was the right time to accept "even a modest increase".

Councillors do not receive a salary but are instead given an allowance for duties such as attending meetings, representing residents and handling casework.

Members with additional responsibilities are also paid a special responsibility allowance, ranging from £31,745 for the council leader to £4,472 for leaders of the two largest opposition groups.

Some members warned that rejecting the increase could limit who is able to serve as a councillor. Conservative councillor David Howes, who said allowances helped ensure councils reflected a broader cross-section of the community.

However, Griffiths said he believed "it would be wrong to place any additional burden on the taxpayer".

Five councillors voted in favour of increasing allowances, 30 against and 18 abstained.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the authority said the increase would have raised the total cost of allowances to £1,448,608.79, compared with £1,432,791.18 without the rise.

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