Powys' councillors set for 17 per cent allowance increase

Powys County Councillors will receive a rise in allowances from £14,368 to £16,800 under the changes, which came after the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) recommended the Wales-wide move in February.

The decision to increase councillors pay comes into force after the local elections earlier this month.

The report will be discussed at the council’s annual general meeting tomorrow.

However, any decision taken by councillors only relates to how many senior allowances the authority pays to councillors – and the remuneration.

The council is allowed to pay up to 18 senior salaries but chooses to allocate 17.

They cover senior positions such as council leader, cabinet members, committee chairs, as well as leader of the opposition.

Head of finance at the authority, Jane Thomas said: “The IRPW have determined that the basic salary level for Members of principal local authorities will be uplifted by £2,432 per annum from £14,368 to £16,800.

“The annual basic salary of £16,800 must be paid to all councillors."

Ms Thomas said that councillors can “forego” part of the whole of their basic allowance if they notify her in writing.

This year, the IRPW have pushed the payments up so that they 'rectify the imbalance between the basic salary of councillors and the average salaries of their constituents'.

The reason the IRPW try and set a fair salary for councillors is in the hope that councillors can be found from all backgrounds including younger candidates who may also work full time.

The senior allowance paid to council leaders and members of their cabinet has also gone up.

In its report the IRPW said believe that council leaders should receive a salary “at or above” a back bench member of Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament – and being in the cabinet should be seen as a “full time job.”

In Powys the council leader can now receive £56,700 – an increase from last year’s £49,974, the deputy leader can receive up to £39,690 – an increase from last year’s £35,320, cabinet members can receive up to £34,020 – an increase from last year’s £30,773, committee chairs can receive up to £25,593 – an increase from last year’s £23,161, the leader of the biggest opposition group can receive up to £25,593 – an increase from last year’s £18,108.

The council chairman’s allowance also goes up to £25,593, an increase from last year’s £23,161, while the vice-chairman’s salary increases to £20,540 from £18,108.