City of York councillors get small pay rise at £7k cost to the authority

Councillors will receive an uplift of £110 a year for their basic allowance to £11,392, backdated to April 1, 2023.

The increase was approved at a meeting of the full council on Thursday, March 21, but was initially proposed in February.

Executive members of the council will now receive £20,506 - up from £20,307 - on top of their basic allowance.

The leader of the City of York Council, Coun Claire Douglas, will now receive £45,568 a year.

The increase in councillor pay will cost the council £7,000 more each year, pushing its budget for paying councillors up to around £793,000 a year.

Coun Douglas said: “The council has convened a panel of independent people working or living in York to carry out the process of reviewing councillors’ allowances.

“Under York’s arrangements for allowances, this is a legal requirement every four years.

“The panel’s recommendations have just been published and all councillors will debate and vote on these proposals at the council’s 2024-25 budget setting meeting next week.”

Coun Nigel Ayre, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group, said: “All previous IRPs have been done truly cross-party.

“It is extremely disappointing that Labour has not discussed this with other groups and has decided to try and slip this out with the budget papers.

“This is yet another example of their high-handed, arrogant approach to governing.

“This administration is becoming increasingly insular with their failure to consult on any of the major changes they are making within the budget.

“We call on the Labour administration to start to engage with opposition councillors and residents.”