Councillors’ allowances will go up even though some wanted to extend a two-year freeze against a backdrop of rising council tax, spending cuts to services, redundancies and axed grants for community groups.
Labour and Green councillors voted for a series of increases including a 4.4 per cent rise in the basic allowance from £13,593 to £14,218.20.
Conservative and Independent councillors criticised the decision at Brighton and Hove City Council’s “annual council meeting” at Brighton Town Hall today (Thursday 16 May).
Labour councillor Julie Cattell said that allowances were last reviewed five years ago, adding that proposals from the council’s Independent Remuneration Panel recognised extra work carried out by ward councillors and the freeze over the past two years.
Brighton and Hove Independent councillor Bridget Fishleigh said that she was not motivated by money to serve as a councillor, adding that the increases looked bad when people were struggling to pay their bills.
Fellow Brighton and Hove Independent councillor Mark Earthey asked the council to not take the increase in the current financial year and to review the proposals to keep the total within £949,000.
Councillor Earthey said: “Brighton is not a rich city. While it clearly has some wealthy inhabitants, many thousands of residents are experiencing real financial hardship due to the ‘cost of living crisis’.
“This crisis shows no real signs of abating, no matter what we are being told by over-optimistic politicians who excel in the art of self-delusion.”
He said that there was no “magic bullet” to solve the financial crisis that has seen cuts to public services.
Green councillor Sue Shanks said that when allowances were frozen in 2022 it seemed like the right thing to do in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and budget pressures.
She said: “I do think we should reward people adequately for being councillors. A third of the recommended allowances are taken off because we’re doing this as a public service.
“It’s an independent body. There’s no point in having an independent body and saying we don’t agree with them.”
Conservative councillor Anne Meadows criticised the council for putting up allowances after making redundant three political assistants.
She said: “Three members of staff had their lives turned upside down so you could have a pay rise when you moved to the cabinet model.
“Not content with enormous pay rises for the 10 cabinet members, you also have to pay for all those Labour advisers to the cabinet.
“Crikey! You’ve got more paid advisers than Tony Blair had when he was running the government.”
Council deputy leader Jacob Taylor criticised Councillor Meadows and said that they were necessary to enable people from poorer backgrounds to take part in local politics.
He quoted the Chartists calling for “payment of members thus enabling honest tradesmen, working men or women, or other people to serve when taken from their business to serve the interests of the country”.
Three Independent councillors voted against the rise while Conservatives abstained, with Labour and Green councillors voting in favour.
The changes include a 6.3 per cent rise in the leader’s allowance from £48,135.37 to £51,185 while the two deputy leaders will receive £31,777 – up 8 per cent from £29,383.20.
The other seven cabinet members will receive a total of £27,156.
The opposition leader, Green councillor Steve Davis, will receive a total of £26,417 – up 2.9 per cent.
What an amazing gravy train.
Disgraceful when people are struggling, they give themselves more. Why do they need so many advisers who are also highly paid? So much for Labour being with the people !!
To be fair, the amount that councillors do have to deal with, including us public berating them constantly, they should be paid enough to live off. It also should be high enough to live off otherwise you make it prohibitive for anyone who isn’t well off, retired, or kept, making your representation in the council limited.
This is shameful! ! During a cost of living crisis, Cllr Sanked and her Justice League cabinet given themselves a pay rise as their first act.
Labour didn’t just award themselves salary hikes, but also enhanced benefits that are not given even by the most generous of employers within the private sector, around maternity/paternity pay, job sharing & sickness benefits.
Very easy spending tax payers money, whilst simultaneously complaining about a lack of government funding to feed them & their projects …
You also benefited from being in a position you can vote either way, and it has no meaning on the outcome, so you can be in opposition for the sake of being opposition, and still benefit from an enhanced salary. Very win-win, right councillor?
Not necessarily so. Individual Labour/Green Councillors didn’t have to vote for the increases & enhanced benefits. Personally I find it an honour to serve as a councillor. I work full time & earn a salary elsewhere. I don’t believe being a councillor should be viewed as a career choice to replace paid employment elsewhere. A bit like doing charity work.
Whilst I agree with you that it is an honour to be selected to serve your constituency, and reality is that one needs to put food on the table.
By holding a second job, I believe logically one loses the ability to dedicate themselves fully to the role, either as councillor or charity worker, and their other paid employment. And I am sure you don’t mean to insinuate that charity workers don’t deserve to be paid for their vital work.
I believe one should have the ability to serve their city as a councillor as a career choice, nor is it fair to criticise those who wish to do so for good intentions.
I’m sure you agree as a reasonable person I have found you to be historically, that it is an important role that deserves to have 100% of ones time dedicated to it, nor should potentially good people be lost because they can’t afford it.
My two cents either way, Councillor.
It’s still not a lot of money, to be fair, for what is almost a full time job if done properly. Although it’s true that many other people will be getting less, or no rise at all.
Tories just grandstanding, since most of them don’t need the money.
Agreed. Full time work with overtime hours, for part time equivalent pay. If this was paid like a normal job, it would be illegal under minimum wage laws.
Crap money for a crap job. Pay more and it may attract more skilled people.
Big thing is that it is typically not enough to live on, you need secondary income.
“Conservative councillor Anne Meadows criticised the council for putting up allowances after making redundant three political assistants.
“She said: “Three members of staff had their lives turned upside down so you could have a pay rise when you moved to the cabinet model.”
But no concern for the all the other staff the council has had to make redundant this year and in previous years?
Or the hundreds of thousands of others across the country who have also had their lives turned up side down because of the decsions of your government
I find Cllr Meadows spends a lot of time making disingenuous comments in an attempt to attack Labour. I wish she would spend that energy into something productive.
She won’t, of course. But one can hope she becomes a better person.
What other job allows employees to decide on their own payrise?
Anyone who’s self employed.
Locums.
Practice partners.
Well they are not going to vote any other way are they, though it’s an ALLOWANCE, rather than a SALARY and that is the point. A Councillor is essentially a voluntary position for those who wish to serve their fellow residents. It is not about the money. Or shouldn’t be. And there is a reason it is geared to suit older adults with life experience, and hopefully wisdom to go with it.
Why does our Council Leader suddenly need two deputies, rather than one? is the question which jumps out at me.
Are they not up to the job?
We citizens were not consulted and did not agree to this.
At the risk of losing the wisdom of the newer generations and failing to represent a large portion of the community, Barry.
And we explained your question about the Deputies before, Barry. Did you miss the answers given to you?