Lichfield councillors could receive an extra £800 a year in allowances

Under the plans councillors in Lichfield could receive an extra £800 a year.

Currently, Lichfield district councillors are paid a basic allowance of £4,214, however this is set to increase to £5,067 under the plans, put forward by the independent remuneration panel. Other roles with ‘special responsibilities’ payments including council leader and committee chairs are also set to increase.

This would be the first increase in allowances at the council in seven years. A previous remuneration panel report was rejected in 2022 which proposed increasing the basic allowance to £4,734.

Councillors are set to consider the recommendations at the next full council meeting on Tuesday 13 May. Despite increases in the majority of roles with special responsibilities, typically committee chairs, cabinet members and opposition leaders, not all will receive an increase.

A number of committee vice chairs are set to see a decrease in their special responsibility allowance. At the same time shadow cabinet members are set to receive an additional allowance for the first time.

Previously the audit and standards were combined. The full list of changes are below:

Role

Current allowance

Proposed allowance

Basic allowance

£4,214

£5,067

Leader of Council

£12,641

£15,201

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member

£7,585

£9,121

Other Cabinet Members

£6,952

£8,361

Chair Planning Committee

£6,320

£7,089

Vice Chair Planning Committee

£1,589

£1,772

Chair Regulatory and Licensing Committee

£2,529

£3,800

Vice Chair Regulatory and Licensing Committee

£632

£760

Chair Overview and Scrutiny Committee

£2,529

£5,067

Vice Chair Overview and Scrutiny Committee

£632

£1,013

Chair Audit Committee

£1,589

£3,040

Vice Chair Audit Committee

£632

£608

Chair Standards Committee

£1,589

1,520

Vice Chair Standards Committee

£632

£304

Chair of Council

£2,885

£3,800

Vice Chair of Council

£721

£760

Chair Employment Committee

£1,589

£1,520

Vice Chair Employment Committee

£632

£304

Principal Opposition Group Leader

£2,885

£4,560

Principal Opposition Group Deputy Leader

£721

£912

Shadow Cabinet Members

N/A

£684

Leader Minor Opposition Group (five or more members)

N/A

£760

In total, if the changes are agreed by councillors, the yearly cost of the allowance scheme will cost £354,329. Out of the 47 councillors on Lichfield District Council 31 can currently receive a special responsibility allowance.

The remuneration panel met with various councillors from all political groups on the council, questionnaires and various sessions.

The report by the independent remuneration committee said: “It became clear during the course of the review that the current allowances were no longer fit for purpose. The majority of the representation received by the IRP supported this view.

“While a sizeable number of those who made representation to the IRP reported that they could afford to be a Councillor regardless of whether the allowances were revised or not they recognised that they could be a potential barrier for others, particularly for underrepresented groups such as younger people and/or those in full time employment. As such, the current levels were a potential barrier to wider representation on the council.

“It is recognised that it is never a good time to increase allowances but it is clear from the representation received and the evidence reviewed that increases in allowances at this juncture are unavoidable if the Lichfield District Council allowances scheme is to be updated to recognise the increased demands placed on Members in the past few years or so and the context of the Council being in no overall control.

“Regardless, the IRP cannot ignore the current economic context or the realities faced by Members. There is little point in the IRP making recommendations that bear no relationship to economic constraints within which the Council has to operate; otherwise, the review would simply make aspirational recommendations for a future date rather than supporting Members in the present.”