West Norfolk councillors look set to agree £640 allowance rise
It will mean most members will be entitled to receive £639.60 more each year
Members of a Norfolk council look set to agree to give themselves a 10.38% increase to their allowances at a time when it faces increasing pressures on budgets for major projects.
West Norfolk Council cabinet unanimously agreed to the rise, which is the maximum amount put forward.
It will mean most members will be entitled to receive £639.60 more each year, from £6,162 to £6,801.60.
Councillors who receive a special responsibility allowance, which gives members who hold senior positions extra money, will increase by 5%.
This will mean the leader of the council, Terry Parrish, will see his allowance rise from £16,939 to £17,785.
Cabinet members will have their allowance rise to £8,002 from £7,621.
It will require a budget increase of £20,762 for the council.
The proposal comes after tempers flared during a debate to decide on increasing pay for the local authority’s staff in August.
Critics argued the pay rise unfairly benefited those on higher wages and that it should instead be staggered depending on income level.
But after a narrow vote it was agreed that all 500 staff should receive the increase in order to address the impact of the cost of living crisis.
Councillor Simon Ring referenced the heated discussion of staff pay during the recent cabinet meeting, saying: “Let’s hope it is a short debate over this and that we won’t have the same shenanigans over staff pay.”
The allowance increase is in line with the agreed pay rise for staff and the additional costs will be paid for by offsetting underspend in other service areas, through additional turnover savings or by using the general fund reserve.
Earlier this month concerns were raised that a number of major projects in west Norfolk were at risk of being delayed due to funding issues and a lack of resources.
Schemes including the St George’s Guildhall revamp face increasing budget pressures due to rising inflation and problems with staffing to oversee the project.