Welsh councillors’ basic pay set to increase

THE amount councillors in Wales get paid is set to go up.

An independent panel has recommended that the basic salary for councillors should go up to £13,600 from £13,300 – an increase of 1.49%.

The salary for councillors with special responsibilities is not going up but they will also receive the £300 pay rise.

The basic allowance given to councillors is determined by an independent body – the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales.

The amount is calculated on an assumption that the basic activity required of an elected member is equivalent to three days’ work.

In 2009 they said that the basic salary for councillors would be aligned to the median gross earnings of all full-time employees living in Wales.

But they say if that had continued, it would be closer to £15,000 per year.

Councils are divided into three groups depending on their size.

Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Swansea are the biggest.

The leaders of those three authorities will get £53,300 and their deputies £37,300.

Each have 19 senior salaries. Cardiff and RCT have 75 councillors while Swansea has 72.

The leaders of Bridgend, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Newport, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham all get £48,300 and deputy leader £33,800.

The leaders of Blaenau Gwent, Ceredigion, Denbighshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Anglesey all receive £43,300 and their deputies £30,300.

Chairs of committees receive £22,300.

The leader of the largest opposition group will also receive £22,300 and the leader of other political groups £17,300.

Civic heads will get between £19,300 and £24,300 depending on the size of their authority.

The report, however, voices concerns that the basic salary is too low compared to a job and as such stops younger people seeing it as a viable option and therefore discouraging diversity.

The panel say that “maintaining the democratic values of local governance cannot be cost-free”.

“These are significant and considerable tasks for members of the relevant authorities within the panel’s remit.

“Payments to members are made available to encourage a diversity of willing and able people to undertake local governance through their elected, appointed or co-opted roles”. will