'Highest paid' councillors in line for a rise

East Suffolk councillors could be set for an increase in their allowances

Councillors who are already being paid more than others in Suffolk could see their allowances rise, if recommendations are approved.

An independent remuneration panel (IRP) was asked to look into the allowances of East Suffolk councillors back in 2019, but the pandemic held up the review.

Its findings, which have now been published and will be discussed on Wednesday, suggested a basic allowance should increase from £8,766 to £9,379 a year.

The IRP concluded although allowances at East Suffolk Council were already the highest in Suffolk, they should be increased in recognition of the district's size in terms of demographic area and population.

A councillor's basic allowance is payable to all members as long as they attend one meeting every six months, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Allowances are intended to cover the costs of carrying out council duties, including phone, postage and travel.

In East Suffolk, if the recommendations are passed, the council's leader would see an increase in allowance from £21,916 to £23,447, and the deputy leader's would increase from £14,639 to £15,662.

In total, an increase in allowances for all 55 councillors, which includes special responsibility payments for members of different committees as well as opposition leaders, would mean an extra £66,654 pressure on the authority's finances.

A survey of 25 councillors showed most respondents believed the basic allowance should be up to, or more than, £10,000, with the vast majority stating they worked between 11 and 30 hours per week on council duties.

One councillor wrote: "It's an honour to serve but you need to work on it full-time and not be distracted by other work."

Another said: "Allowances do not reflect the amount of unsocial hours required to carry out the roles and the effects on other members of your families."

Suffolk County Council is proposing to raise its share of council tax by the maximum amount of 4.99%.

This means for a band B property, which are the most common in Suffolk, there will be an annual increase in council tax of £60.97 to £1,282.89, from 1 April.