Councillors to vote on increasing allowances

A report says increases are necessary to encourage a diverse group of councillors

Councillors in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, are to vote on a proposal to increase the allowances they receive.

A report to be presented at the city council's annual meeting on Thursday recommends raising the basic allowance for a councillor from £13,593 a year to £14,218.

The report said this would ensure the level of the allowance "does not constitute a barrier to candidates from all sections of the community standing, or re-standing, for election".

It adds that members' allowances were frozen for the financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24, during which time staff pay has increased by 12.7%.

The increase was calculated based on a councillor spending an average of 22 hours a week on council business, aside from attending meetings, and the average wage for Brighton being £18.55 an hour.

A public service discount of 33% was applied to bring the figure down slightly.

If approved, the raise will increase the annual bill for councillors' allowances from £950,000 to £1.05m.

The report also recommends increasing the hourly rate for child care claims from £9 to £12, and that specialist care is reimbursed at its actual cost, with the current £1,800 maximum annual cap removed.

The council meeting is due to take place at 16:30 BST on Thursday.

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