Cheshire East councillors have voted through an independent panel’s recommendation to increase councillor allowances and backdate the rise to April 2024.
The vote was close with 39 voting in favour of the rise, 33 against and two abstaining.
Allowances will now increase by 2.5% for 2024/25 and 3.2% for 2025/26.
The basic allowance is currently £12,851. The council leader has a special responsibility allowance (SRA) of £29,517 on the top of that and the deputy an SRA of £17,820.
Committee chairs and others with special responsibilities have an additional allowance of up to £12,485.
Council leader Nick Mannion (Lab) said: “Most of us put in many hours each and every week helping people who often have complex, sensitive issues.
“Helping people is what we do, and it’s why we are.”
Deputy leader Michael Gorman (Wilmslow, Ind) said some councillors work up to 80 hours a week.
He added: “If we expect people to give this level of service, we must ensure they can afford to do so.
“If allowances fall short, we exclude those without independent means, working parents, younger people, carers and those on modest incomes.”
Cllr Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind) said since he was first elected in 2015 the basic allowance had increased by 25% – but inflation had risen by 40.3% over that time.
“Some roles on this council remove the ability to do a part-time job, because if done properly, they are full-time roles in themselves,” he said.
Cllr Joy Bratherton (Crewe, Lab) said: “The average age of councillors here is somewhere between 55 and 75, yet we all agree that we desperately need younger voices, younger energy, younger perspectives.
“But what exactly are we asking them to sign up for?
“Do we tell them that your social life will disappear?
“Do we tell them that your employer may resent the time you need away from work, you’ll be criticised daily by people who neither know you nor actually care who the hell you are, it’s just fun to sit behind the keyboard and slag you off.”
She said, after tax, the allowance was under £1,000 a month.
“So why would anybody expect capable young people to undertake one of the most demanding forms of public service without an allowance which enables them to do so?”
Others argued now was not the right time.
Cllr Stewart Gardiner (Knutsford, Con) said: “Given the current financial situation, I do not believe I can hand-on-heart vote for this proposition and look at the people outside who effectively are having to pay increased bills.”
Sandbach councillor Nicola Cook (Ind) said she had supported residents accessing funds to pay for gas and electric and a nurse to apply for funding to buy food.
“How can I look these residents in the eye and at the same time support this recommendation?” she asked.
Cllr John Knight (Macclesfield, Green) said he had listened to arguments that the low allowances may make it harder for younger people in full time work to take on the role.
But he added, at a time when the council cannot afford to carry out some of its basic functions, “it really is tone deaf for us to sit here and talk about raising our pay”.
Cllr Jos Saunders (Poynton, Con) said residents were against any increase in allowances.
She said: “They state to me that this council is only operational because of the millions lent to it by government.
“They state that until we’re in a fiscal position where we don’t need propping up by loans, we should not be taking backdated money.”
Council leader Nick Mannion said the current situation put councillors in a difficult position and he would write to government suggesting the setting of member allowances be looked at nationally rather than locally in future.
@Wendy Cooke – I understand the frustration regarding cuts to social care and rising council bills, but the claim that 25% of our council tax goes toward staff pensions is factually incorrect.
Cheshire East Council publishes a strict breakdown of its budget every year. In reality, nearly 70p of every £1 of your council tax goes directly toward social care services for vulnerable children, adults with disabilities, and older residents. The remainder is split across highways, waste collection, and other statutory services.
Local government pensions belong to an entirely separate, ring-fenced fund (the Cheshire Pension Fund) which is largely sustained by independent investment returns and employee salary deductions, not a quarter of your council tax bill.
While it’s completely fair to debate councillor
allowances, we should base the discussion on the council’s actual budget data.
@pops
hark at you, armchair critic yourself….why don’t you put yourself forward since you think ‘they’ are doing such a good job and you could claim the increased allowances.
Didn’t forget the caps lock was on, it was way of EMPHASISING.
Argument is, WHY was it necessary to backdate the allowance to 2024.
Difficult decisions!
Would they be the ones like Cheshire east cutting my brother’s adult social care hrs by 120 every 4 wks but still charging my brother exactly the same amount every 4wks for less hrs.
Why not find another job if it doesn’t pay! Like other people would have to do instead of just taking more just because you can!
Bring on reform to get rid of their gold plated pensions that I believe 25% of our council tax is spent on.
Disgraceful, entitled behaviour.
@Ronx
Why not put yourself forward the next time elections come around if everyone is doing such a bad job
Hardly disgraceful really- I dont think people realise the time that is put in to doing this job and the difficult decisions that have to be made The allowance is also taxed. Easy to criticise from the armchair.
Oh and PS dont forget the CAPS LOCK IS ON.
It was always a foregone conclusion that these people would vote for an increase in personal allowances. What I cannot understand is WHY it is being backdated to 2024. Absolutely disgusting, considering the ALL do such an abysmal job.
DISGRACEFUL,
CE Councillors have just guaranteed REFORM as the party in waiting