Councillors voting on allowance rise

WEST Berkshire councillor allowances could increase by three per cent if councillors vote in favour.

An independent renumeration panel has recommended that the basic annual allowance for all 43 councillors on West Berkshire Council should be increased from £7,546 to £8,154.

The panel said this could encourage people from more diverse backgrounds to become councillors, as they would be better compensated for their time.

They also said the council leader’s allowance should rise from £19,242 to £20,385 and the deputy leader should receive an extra £686 a year, taking the total to £12,231. Each of the executive members, who have additional responsibilities, should receive £10,193 a year (currently £9,622) and the leader of the opposition should see their annual allowance rise from £7,697 to £8,154, the panel added.

Councillors are expected to approve the plans at a full council meeting today (Thursday).

A council report states: “They [the panel) have proposed allowances that in their opinion provide reasonable financial compensation for councillors for expenses they incurred and the time they committed in relation to their role.

“They also reflected on the overall need to ensure that the scheme of allowances was neither an incentive nor a barrier to service as a councillor in West Berkshire.”

If approved, the local authority could spend up to £528,000 on allowances in 2021/22, although the council estimates the cost to be around £510,000.

The panel said councillors should be paid £17.29 an hour, because that is the full-time gross hourly wage for West Berkshire. They are required to work at least 16 hours a week, but are expected to do almost half of that work voluntarily.

The panel has also recommended that councillors should be allowed to claim £12 for an evening meal, £7 for lunch and 45p a mile for petrol.

The 5p per mile payment for every passenger a councillor carries in their vehicle has been recommended to be withdrawn.