Allowances for Cornwall council members to rise by 4%

The council approved the recommendations of an independent panel in full

The basic pay of Cornwall councillors will rise after recommendations made by an independent panel were approved.

Pay for 87 councillors will rise from £15,130.75 to £17,681.79 in May 2023, and increases will be made to special responsibility allowances (SRAs).

The independent remuneration panel found council members had an increased workload as the number of councillors had reduced from 123 to 87 in 2021.

It said councillors worked 35 hours per week, an increase from 32.7 in 2021.

The reduction in councillors had saved the council "in excess of £500,000 a year", independent Councillor Adam Paynter said.

He said: "We have to be mindful of the cost to the council and the ratepayer but mindful of the savings we have made in the reduction in members," reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Chair of the independent remuneration panel Kirsty Hickson said the recommendations had been implemented following "extensive consultation" with councillors including a survey, face-to-face meetings and comparing allowances paid by other local authorities.

Recommendations approved included the leader of the council receiving an SRA of £32,711.31, and the deputy leader £24,533.48 in addition to their basic allowances.

Cabinet members will receive an SRA of £22,897.92, the same rate as the chairman of the council.

Mileage rates for councillors will also rise from 40p to 45p per mile and recommendations were made that councillors should be able to take paternity leave in line with that allowed for council staff.

Senior Conservative Councillor Louis Gardner said he was glad the reduction in councillors had been recognised with an increase in finances.

An increase of just over 4% for 2022/2023 will be made and backdated to April 2022, with another 4% increase set for 2023/2024.