North Yorkshire councillors claim 50% pay rise is too little

North Yorkshire County Council has been warned it will become more unrepresentative of its population unless it pays more to councillors.

Opposition parties have claimed elected members of the incoming North Yorkshire Council face being paid less than the minimum wage after a proposal to limit their basic annual allowances to £15,500 was revealed.

They argue it will mean only those with significant income streams will be able to be councillors.

The allowance level put forward by an independent panel would mean nationally, among comparative councils, only councillors serving Leeds would be paid more than those in North Yorkshire.

A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive on Tuesday will hear the proposed allowance for the 90 members of its successor, North Yorkshire Council, from April represents a £5,184 increase on allowances paid last year to county councillors.

The creation of the unitary council will mean the end of allowances being paid to hundreds of district and borough councillors, so while some district councillors elected to the new authority may see a slight overall rise in pay, others will see their council work income drop.

However, the independent panel making the recommendation said with the abolition of district and borough councils and the number of county councillors reducing from 319 to 90 for the new unitary authority would mean a significant increase in workload.

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If the proposals are accepted it will mean a net saving to the public purse in North Yorkshire of £707,633.

Under the proposals, special responsibility allowances would be at least four per cent higher than the current county council allowances, depending on the role.

The chair of the panel, John Thompson, said: 

“Councillors volunteer for their roles. They are not employees and are not paid at a commercial rate for their time. However, the allowances should not be set at a level which acts as a disincentive to conscientious performance of duties, or which does not reflect the considerable time commitment required for the role.

“When considering the appropriate level for the allowances, it is also important to take into account the need to continue to attract the required calibre of candidate from a diverse range of backgrounds, to stand and serve as a councillor.”

The authority’s Conservative leader, Cllr Carl Les, said it was important allowances were set at a level which would not prevent anyone from standing to represent their community, regardless of their age, personal circumstances and whether they are in work.

He said: 

“It will be a matter for each councillor to decide, at the full council meeting in February, whether to take all, some or none of the proposed allowances.”

Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the Independents group on the authority, said many elected members were already coming to the conclusion it was not worth taking a day off work to attend council meetings, which are all held during the day.

He said: 

“The job is becoming even more full-time than it was and that £15,500 is supposed to compensate you for the time and energy you are putting in.

“They are certainly not going out of their way to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to participate. What they are hoping for is more grey-haired, retired Tories who use this as a plus on their pensions.”

Leader of the Green Party group, Cllr Andy Brown, said attending council meetings in Northallerton from his Airedale division typically took about six hours each, and that was before reading reports, going on site visits and helping his residents.

He said:

“We have been campaigning for proper pay for councillors since the days of the Chartists. It’s far better to have honest councillors who are focused on doing the job than echo what happens in parliament where people take second jobs to improve their standard of living.

“It should be something that it is possible to do mid-career and have an average standard of living.”

North Yorkshire councillors set for 50% pay rise from April

Councillors on the new North Yorkshire Council will have a 50% pay rise in April if proposals are approved next week.

The suggested increase has been put forward to “reflect their significantly increased workload” as the new unitary authority takes over from North Yorkshire County Council.

Councillors sitting on NYCC currently receive £10,316 per year as a basic allowance. If proposals are approved, this would increase to £15,500 for the next financial year.

Allowances for special responsibilities – those with portfolios for transport, health and other areas – would also increase by at least 4% under the plans.

The chair of the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP), John Thompson, said:

“Councillors volunteer for their roles. They are not employees and are not paid at a commercial rate for their time.

“However, the allowances should not be set at a level which acts as a disincentive to conscientious performance of duties, or which does not reflect the considerable time commitment required for the role.”

The proposed new allowances will be considered by NYCC’s executive next Tuesday, before being put to the full council for a final decision in February.

While Mr Thompson said he accepted that “in absolute terms this may be seen as a large increase”, the number of councillors was reducing from 319 to 90, so there would be savings to the taxpayer.

The cost of basic and special responsibility allowances at present is £2,553,319. Under the proposals it would fall to £1,845,686 – a saving of just over £700,000.

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Some NYCC councillors also sit on Harrogate Borough Council, meaning they can claim allowances from both authorities. From April, when the new unitary authority takes over, they will only sit on one council and be able to claim once.

Mr Thompson said the IRP had faced a difficult task in coming to its recommendation.

He added:

“Setting a fair and proportionate basic allowance and special responsibility allowance that reflects the workload of councillors in the new authority has been a complex task.

“The allowances paid in similar local authorities have been reviewed, inflation and cost of living pressures taken into account, information from councillors about their current and future workload considered, along with details of how the new council will work and the services that it will commission and provide.

“When considering the appropriate level for the allowances, it is also important to take into account the need to continue to attract the required calibre of candidate from a diverse range of backgrounds, to stand and serve as a councillor.”

The leader of North Yorkshire County Council, Cllr Carl Les, said:

“I thank the panel for its work and for looking at this issue with independent eyes. It is important that the level at which allowances are set is not a barrier that would prevent anyone from standing for a council position, regardless of such things as age, personal circumstances and whether they are in work.

“It will be a matter for each councillor to decide, at the full council meeting in February, whether to take all, some or none of the proposed allowances.”

North Yorkshire county councillors set for 1.75% rise in allowances

An independent panel has recommended a 1.75% increase in allowances for North Yorkshire county councillors.

The proposed increase would include the basic allowance for councillors and special responsibility allowances, such as the leader of the council.

If approved, it would see the basic allowance increase from £10,142 to £10,316.

John Thompson, chairman of the independent remuneration panel, said: 

“The increase takes into account the more demanding nature of the work done by councillors during the pandemic, the proposed local government pay offer and also the need to ensure that they are adequately and appropriately compensated for their vital contribution to local government.

“It is also important to consider the need to continue to attract the required calibre of candidate from a more diverse range of backgrounds, to stand and serve as a councillor. This is particularly relevant today as there will be county council elections in May 2022.”

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The renumeration panel reviews allowances annually.

County councillors will vote on the increase at a full council meeting on November 17.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said: 

“It is important that the level at which allowances are set is not a barrier that would prevent anyone from standing for a council position, regardless of such things as age, personal circumstances and whether they are in work.

“It will be a matter for each councillor to decide, at the full council meeting on November 17, 2021, whether to take all, some or none of the proposed increase in the allowances.”