Calderdale councillors make a decision on if they should get a pay rise

Councillors will get a basic allowance of £10,559 and allowances for special responsibilities will also stay the same.

They made the decision not to get a pay increase at the full meeting of Calderdale Council.

Councillors agreed the annual adjustment provision for Basic and Special Responsibility Allowances be not applied for the year April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020, meaning that there will be no increase in those allowances in May 2019.

When they approved the scheme for 2018-19 last April the council also agreed to reinstate an annual adjustment provision which would come into play when allowances for 2019-20 were decided.

But Standards Committee had recommended earlier in January that this should not be applied for 2019-20 and councillors agreed.

It was necessary to strike a balance between enough money offered in the allowances to attract people to undertake the public service and the work it entails at a financially tough time for the council, councillors concluding leaving them static was about right.

Cabinet member for Resources, Performance and Business Change, Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said: “It was a difficult decision in terms of making sure there is sufficient allowance to attract people to take up public service but nonetheless we were very very cognisant of the challenges facing the council.”

Conservative Group Leader Coun Scott Benton said it was right people should not be put off taking on the role of councillor.

Representing Calderdale people was an honour but there had to be some remuneration, it being right this year to freeze the rates.

“At a time when frontline services are being cut it would be unacceptable to increase basic allowances,” he said, adding Government was also looking at reducing the number of councillors in authorities – something his group would be tabling at Budget Council on February 25.

Council Deputy Leader Coun Barry Collins said the decision to recommend they not be increased at Standards Committee had been unanimous.

“People felt the need to be responsible,” he said.

Special responsibility allowances cover a range of posts from Leader of the Council to scrutiny committee chair roles, agreed and worked out as follows in April 2018 as follows.

Leader (Basic x 3) £31,677, Deputy Leader (50 per cent of Leader SRA) £15,839, Cabinet Member (40 per cent of Leader SRA) £12,670, Chair of a Scrutiny Board (25 per cent of Leader SRA) £7,919, Chair of the Planning Committee (30 per cent of Leader SRA) £9,502, Chair of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee (20 per cent of Leader SRA) £6,335, Chair of Audit Committee (20 per cent of Leader SRA) £6,335, Chair of Governance and Business Committee (20 per cent of Leader SRA) £6,335, Chair of Flooding Scrutiny Panel (10 per cent of Leader SRA) £3,167, Chair of Appeals Panel (10 per cent of Leader SRA) £3,167, Chair of Standards Committee (10 per cent of Leader SRA) £3,167, Leader of largest opposition Party Group with more than 25 per cent of the Council Membership (40 per cent of Leader SRA) £12,670, Leader of a Party Group with between 10 per cent and 24 per cent of Council Membership (20 per cent of Leader SRA) £6,335, Leader(s) of other Party Group(s) with less than 10 per cent of Council Membership (five per cent of Leader SRA) £1,584, Chair of West Yorkshire Services Joint Committee where the Chair is a Calderdale Councillor, 25 per cent of Leader SRA) £7,919, member of West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel £6,379, Chair of

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel wherethe Chair is a Calderdale Councillor £11,696, Chair of West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel Complaints Sub-Committee where the Chair is a Calderdale Councillor £7,443.

Councillors cannot receive more than one Special Responsibility Allowance as well as their basic allowance.