Pay rise for MSPs 'wholly inappropriate'

Members of the Scottish Parliament have a current salary of £64,470

MSPs will reject a "wholly inappropriate" pay rise next year, Holyrood's presiding officer has said.

Salary increases for MSPs are linked to public sector pay and they would have been in line for a 5.1% rise in 2021.

But Ken Macintosh said the Scottish Parliament's cross-party corporate body had rejected a pay rise for members next year, and also called for salaries to be frozen.

An MSP's salary is currently £64,470, following a 1.4% pay rise last year.

Ministers and the Parliament's presiding officers are entitled to extra money on top of this.

Changes to MSPs' pay are normally determined using the annual survey of earnings and working hours (ASHE index) published by the Office for National Statistics.

This is also used to determine pay rises for public sector staff.

By that measure, MSPs would have been able to request a 5.1% pay rise in 2021.

Since 2015, salaries for MSPs have been directly linked to public-sector pay rises in Scotland.

Prior to then, MSPs' salaries were linked to MPs' pay, with parliamentarians at Holyrood receiving 87.5% of what their Westminster counterparts received.

Public health crisis and economic hardship

In a letter to MSPs, Mr Macintosh wrote: "In the midst of a public health crisis with such devastating economic consequences and hardship for so many households, the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) unanimously agreed yesterday that it would be wholly inappropriate for the ASHE index to be applied to MSP and ministerial salaries next year."

The SPCB, which is chaired by Mr Macintosh, instead unanimously agreed to ask for salaries to be frozen in their budget bid to the Finance and Constitution Committee.

Ken Macintosh said "no other decision" would have been appropriate

He added: "These are exceptional circumstances and no other decision would have been appropriate or welcome at this time - either inside or out with parliament.

"Now, more than ever, is a time for political leadership where our own salaries are concerned."

Deputy First Minister John Swinney welcomed the plan, and said: "I think it's absolutely the right decision to have taken and I think it's correct in these circumstances.

"The pay of ministers has been frozen at 2008-09 levels, so that's been frozen for some considerable time, but I unreservedly welcome the decision that parliament's taken today."