Basic Shropshire Council allowances are topped up for duties
Shropshire Council paid out £1.23 million in allowances and expenses to its members from April 2012 to March 2013.
All 74 members of Shropshire Council are entitled to a basic allowance of £11,514 – a total of £852,036 – which is paid out annually.
It is paid at a rate of £959.50 per month, unless councillors request otherwise in writing or he/she indicates that they do not wish to receive it.
On top of that, special responsibility allowances are also paid out the leader of the council, his deputy, cabinet members and chairs of special committees.
The leader receives £34,542 a year.
This is paid at a rate of £2,878.50 each month unless requested otherwise.
The deputy leader is entitled to claim £25,906.50 annually, to be paid out at the rate of £2,158.88 per month.
The remaining seven cabinet members, who each have specialist portfolios of responsibility including areas such as transport and leisure, receive £23,028 per year or £1,919 per month. The five councillors who chair scrutiny panels examining decisions taken by the ruling cabinet also get the same amount, while deputy portfolio holders get £17,271 per annum each, or £1,439.25 a month. Special allowances are paid to the speaker and the chairman, who both get £20,149.50 a year each or £1,679.13 per month.
Opposition group leaders get £17,721 per year (£1,439.25 a month), while the chairmen of the council's area planning committees and the chairman of the authority's audit committee also get the same amount.
Extra cash is also paid to the vice-chairmen of the planning committees, who get £12,953.25. Councillors who head up the council's strategic licensing committee or licensing sub-committees, as well as the vice-chairman of strategic licensing and the chairman of the pensions committee, get £14,392.50 or £1,199.38 a month.
