
Councillors have voted themselves a 2.5 per cent pay rise with the basic annual allowance due to increase by almost £300.
It means councillors will see their basic allowance rise to £11,600 from the current rate of £11,317, backdated to April 2024.
Special responsibility allowances will also increase by 2.5 per cent – these include payments to council leader Coun Lynn Williams who currently receives £33,951 for the role while all cabinet members receive £15,277.
The percentage increase was recommended by the Independent Remuneration Panel which regularly reviews the amount councillors are paid for carrying out their duties.
Labour councillors voted in favour of the recommendation at a full meeting of the council, but the Conservatives and Reform UK voted against.
Coun Paul Galley, leader of the Conservative group, said it was wrong for councillors to receive extra cash when the council was struggling financially and had seen its reserves drop below £50,000 during the current financial year.
Coun Bradley Mitchell (Conservative) said the back pay would amount to £25,000 and added: “I would rather this goes towards services.”
It comes as the council is proposing to cut its budget for the next financial year by £8.6m while council tax is expected to increase by five per cent.
But the Labour group said without adequate allowances, many people would not be able to consider the possibility of election to the council.
Coun Paula Burdess, who is cabinet member with responsibility for community safety, street scene and neighbourhoods, said: “If you want people who are committed as councillors to do the job well, not just in the council chamber but outside in our communities, it is a lot of time that we spend serving our communities which I think deserves proper remuneration.
“You take time out of your full-time job and that is why there is remuneration. It’s not about moral conscience at all. I know I am serving my community, I know how much time I spend doing this role and I think this remuneration is fair.”
The last increases were in 2023 when councillors voted for a four per cent increase in February, followed by a vote in June for a further two per cent increase.