Stockport councillors to decide on allowance increase
Councillors in Stockport will decide this week whether to increase their annual basic allowance by £2,500.
This would see the base rate given to councillors go up from £10,716 to £13,286, a change recommended by an independent remuneration panel.
The move will be discussed by councillors during a meeting at the town hall today (Thursday 3 April).
If approved, it would also offer a rise for the leader of the council from the current rate of special responsibility allowance of £32,150 to £39,859, which is paid on top of the basic allowance.
Across Greater Manchester, basic allowances at councils range from between £10,400 up to £18,800, according to a report from the independent remuneration panel for Stockport council.
The rate of special responsibility allowances for council leaders ranges from nearly £32,000 to £61,200, the report stated.
An anonymous survey sent to Stockport councillors last year revealed that most are working between 20 and 30 hours a week in their roles – with the mean average being 22.7 hours.
For many councillors, this work is balanced with other jobs and responsibilities.
The report on the proposed change to allowances stated that 'some element of the duties of a councillor continues to be voluntary', with an expectation that elected members are not paid for all of their time doing council work.
It continued: 'This must be balanced against the need to ensure that financial loss is not suffered by elected members, and further to ensure that, despite the input required, people of all economic backgrounds are encouraged to come forward as elected members and that their service to the community is retained.'
A Stockport council spokesperson said: "Stockport council will review updated recommendations from the independent remuneration panel (IRP), which is legally required to assess councillor allowances.
"Under current legislation, it is for councillors to decide whether to accept, amend, or reject the panel's findings.
"The IRP's review considered councillor responsibilities, comparisons with other councils, and inflationary pressures."
The debate on councillor allowances in Stockport comes in the same month as the council is introducing changes to its garden waste service.
Residents with green bins have to buy a £59 annual permit to continue weekly garden waste collections, discounted to £39 for those getting council tax support.
Food-only collections in green bins will continue without the need for a permit under the scheme.
In March, the council said it had sold more than 26,000 garden waste permits, worth around £1.5m.
Introducing the charge was approved as part of the council's annual budget, where it had to make £26m worth of savings to balance the books, which included a 4.99 per cent council tax increase for residents.
The council's budget was passed after a vote in the town hall in February, with 32 councillors voting in favour, 27 against, and three abstentions. No amendments were submitted during the debate.
The council's deputy leader Mark Roberts said the new charge was needed to "protect vital frontline services like libraries, pools, parks, and social care."
~
Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.
To get our top stories in your inbox each week, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter HERE.
Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or Twitter
Share:
