Allowances paid to county councillors next year (2025/26) are to be set in line with any pay rise awarded to council staff, it has been agreed.
All 78 county councillors are currently allocated a ‘basic allowance’, of £12,051 a year (2024/25).
Those with other responsibilities can claim higher amounts – currently up to £60,255 for the leader of the council and £36,153 for executive members.
The payments are reviewed annually by the county’s five-strong ‘independent panel on members’ allowances’, which does not include any county councillors.
That panel has recommended that in 2025/26 the ‘basic allowance’ should be consistent with the National Joint Council for Local Government Employees settlement.
Negotiations between unions and employers about the national pay increase for local government staff is still ongoing.
So any amount that councillors’ ‘basic allowances’ will increase by will not be confirmed until any pay increase for staff is agreed.
Nevertheless on Tuesday (February 25) a meeting of the council agreed to accept the panel’s recommendation that the ‘basic allowance’ should be consistent with the National Joint Council for Local Government Employees settlement.
They also agreed that the councillor posts qualifying for ‘special responsibility allowances’ – or SRAs – should remain the same in 2025/26.
That means that as well as the basic allowance the leader of the council will receive an SRA equivalent to four times the basic allowance in 2025/26.
The deputy leader will receive an SRA equivalent to three times the basic allowance.
Executive members will receive an SRA that is twice the basic allowance – and deputy executive members one that is equal to the basic allowance.
SRAs are paid in addition to the basic allowance – but where a councillor would qualify for two SRAs they can only claim the one of the highest value.
Leaders of the other political groups represented in the council can claim an SRA depending on the number of members in their group.
In other changes it was agreed that the maximum ‘dependants’ carers’ allowance’ for child care be increased to £13.85 an hour.
The same allowance for the care of an adult be increased to £25.48 an hour.
In addition, councillors can claim subsistence allowances. And according to the report, breakfast, lunch and tea rates are set to be increased in line with the scheme for council officers.
Travel allowances will be paid to councillors at the same rates as employees.
According to the panel’s report the average basic allowance of 12 ‘comparative county councils’ is £12,914.
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