Plaid says no to £200 pay rise

SOME councillors in Rhondda Cynon Taf will refuse a £200 pay rise this year, it has been revealed.

Councillors from Plaid Cymru will refuse the rise in members’ allowances, which are there to cover costs associated with the role, their leader says.

The Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) Wales has recommended that councillors receive a £200 rise in the allowance, in a bid to close the gap between councillors’ income and costs.

The increase is a 1.4% rise and would see the basic councillor allowance stand at £13,600.

But Councillor Pauline Jarman, leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: “At a time of squeezed budgets we can’t justify accepting a pay increase.

“We are trying to give something back to communities.”

She said all Plaid Cymru councillors will be refusing the pay increase and will instruct officers to continue paying them at the level set in 2012, with the extra money being donated to charity.

The basic salary is paid for the equivalent of three days a week and must be paid in full unless a member volunteers in writing to the monitoring office to forego it.

There has been no change in the senior salary and the maximum number of councillors who can receive a senior salary remains capped at 19.

Senior salaries are split into five separate bands, with band one including the leader and deputy leader, who receive £53,300 and £37,300 respectively.

Executive members in band two receive £32,300 while committee chairs who are remunerated in band three receive £22,300.

The leader of the largest opposition group also receives £22,300, while leaders of other political groups receive £17,300.

The mayor receives £21,800 and the deputy mayor £16,300.

The proposals were voted through by council at the annual meeting.