Council member cash figures debated

Opposition leaders at West Sussex County Council have complained about plans to reducetheamountofallowance they receive.

A report from the Independent Remuneration Panel recommended that the £12,202 basic allowance received by all councillors be frozen in 2021/22 but the extra given to the leaders of the opposition groups be slashed.

At a meeting of the governance committee last week, Liberal Democrat leader James Walsh said the cut in allowance did not do justice to the workload faced by group leaders. This year, as leader of a group with eight members, he received £10,640. From May that will fall to £7,500.

He said: “The suggestion that the allowances should be cut quite drastically just seems to me to fail to understand the broad role of the leader of the opposition.”

Dr Walsh will be stepping down as Lib Dem leader in the new year, so the changes will not affect him, but he stressed to the committee the importance of the opposition. The recommendation from the panel calls for opposition leaders to receive £5,000 if their group has at least three members,risingincrementally to £14,500 for 34 members.

DrWalshandLabourleader Michael Jones argued that the leaders’ allowance should be in line with that of a committee chairman – £9.552. Mr Jones said he was ‘disappointed’ their argument had not been listenedtobythepanel–though chairman Dr Neil Beer said they did listen, they just did not agree.

Leader Paul Marshall will receive £33,849 on top of his basic allowance, deputy leader Deborah Urquhart will receive £24,371, cabinet members will receive £21,663 and committee chairmen £9,552.