By Daniel Wood
Councillors in Kirklees have voted to see their pay go up by £375 a year to £14,002.
All 60 elected members will receive the money for carrying out their ward duties.
The increase was initially delayed from April due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The pay rise will apply to all councillors salaries until March 31, 2021.
On September 9, a virtual meeting of the Full Council was held to discuss the 2.75% increase.
It only took four minutes for all the votes to be cast. Only one member voted against the approval of the increase.
Councillor Aleks Lukic, the Dewsbury Borough Independents member for Dewsbury East, said the recommendations on pay made by the Members’ Allowances Independent Review Panel were no longer relevant as they had been overtaken by events related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He stressed: “They don’t reflect the reality of the situations our constituents are facing, so I don’t personally feel its appropriate for me to support the recommendations although I normally would.”
Special Responsibility Allowances
In addition to the pay rise, many council members are also set to receive special responsibility allowances (SRAs) in addition to the basic allowances received by everyone.
All group leaders, deputy leaders, business managers, chairs of committees and members of all-Labour decision-making cabinet will receive SRAs. No councillor will receive more than one SRA.
For his role as the Council Leader, Councillor Shabir Pandor receives an additional £26,364, while Deputy Leader Councillor Peter McBride receives £19,772.
Each Member of Cabinet will receive £12,833.
Councillors David Hall and John Lawson each receive £10,291 whilst Councillor Charles Graves and Councillor Andrew Cooper each recieve £3,860.
Councillor Liz Smaje, the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny, will receive £11,557.
Below is a list of SRAs per annum and how much they get:
- Business Manager (30+ councillors) – £10,291+
- Business Manager (20-29 councillors) – £7,719
- Chairs of Planning Committees – £6,432
- Lead Members of Scrutiny Panels – £6,432
- Police and Crime Panel Members – £6,288
- Business Manager (7-19 councillors) – £5,147
- Chair of Licensing and Safety Committee – £5,147
- Place Partnership Lead Members – £5,147
- Deputy Group Leader (12+ councillors) – £3,860
- Chair of Appeals panel – £3,860
- Chair of Corporate Governance and Audit Committee – £2,572
- Chair of Standards Committee – £2,572
- Business Manager (3-6 councillors) – £2,572
- Adoption Panel member – £1,285
- Fostering Panel member – £119 (day rate)