Cheshire East councillors have voted to follow the recommendations of an independent panel to increase councillor allowances and backdate the rise to April 2024.
The vote was close, however, with 39 voting in favour of the rise, 33 against and two abstaining – and a Sandbach councillor saying she was “fundamentally opposed” to the rise.
Council leader Nick Mannion told last week’s meeting of full council: “Most of us put in many hours each and every week helping people who often have complex, sensitive issues (writes local democracy reporter Belinda Ryan).
“Helping people is what we do, and it’s why we are here.”
Deputy leader Michael Gorman (Wilmslow) said some councillors worked up to 80 hours a week.
He said: “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.”
Coun Craig Browne (Alderley Edge) said that since he was first elected in 2015 the basic allowance had increased by 25% – but inflation had risen by 40.3% over the same 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.
But Sandbach’s Coun Nicola Cook said these were “unprecedented times”, and residents were facing “severe financial difficulties”, and the council itself was confronted with “challenging monthly decisions” regarding the provision of essential services.
She told the council: “The public’s perception of politics is at a historic low. It is within this difficult context that we are being asked to consider a backdated increase to members’ allowances. I know members will have given this a lot of thought and I really urge colleagues to vote against.
“Life is hard for so many of our residents. I have now supported more than 100 residents to access crisis funds to pay for gas and electric or to buy beds for their kids. I have supported a qualified nurse with over 20 years experience, who was instrumental in delivering the covid vaccination programme to apply for funding to buy food.
“Their distress was overwhelming, how can I look these residents in the eye and justify paying myself an increase in my allowance?
“We must be absolutely clear: this is about our relationship, as a collective council, with our residents and the wider public.”
Posting later on social media, she said she “fundamentally disagreed” with the recommendation.
She was not alone: Coun John Knight (Macclesfield) said he had listened to arguments that the low allowances made it harder for younger people in full-time work to take on the role.
But he said that at a time when the council could not 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”.
Coun Jos Saunders (Poynton) also said residents were against any increase in allowances.
“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.”
Energy
However, many councillors backed the raise, arguing that councillors worked very hard, and low renumeration might deter younger people from taking up public service. At an earlier meeting, the council was described as being “of the retired and for the retired”.
Coun Joy Bratherton (Crewe) said: “The average age of councillors here is somewhere between 55 and 75 and 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 but just find it fun to sit behind the keyboard and slag you off.”
She said, after tax, the allowance was under £1,000 a month.
“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 did agree with Coun Cook that now was not the right time.
Coun Stewart Gardiner (Knutsford) said: “Given the current financial situation, I do not believe that I can hand-on-heart vote for this proposition and look at the people outside who effectively are having to pay increased bills.”
Coun 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.
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 of £29,517 on 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.
