Councillors' allowances

The allowances councillors get for the time they give to the community and to cover expenses and how these allowances are agreed.

Allowances

Councillors are able to claim a number of allowances.

Basic allowance

The basic allowance is an amount paid to every councillor (unless they decide not to claim it) for the performance of their duties.

This allowance is based on an assessment of the time required to undertake the role of a councillor and is discounted by 35% to reflect the element of public service involved in performing those duties.

Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA)

SRAs are paid to councillors who perform extra duties carrying a special responsibility or time commitment.

They are paid to the:

Leader
Deputy Leader
Executive Portfolio Holders
Chairs of all committees

A SRA is also paid to political group leaders.

Committee member SRAs

Members of the Planning Committee receive a SRA in recognition of the more regular nature of meetings of that committee and the extra time commitment required.

Only one SRA may be paid to a member at any one time, apart from the 2 exceptions:

Licensing and Environmental Health Committee members receive an extra SRA when there are at least 10 extraordinary panel meetings held and they attend more than 50% per municipal year, again in recognition of the extra time commitment that this work entails.
Planning Committee substitutes receive an extra SRA provided they attend at least 50% of Planning Committee meetings or 5 meetings in the municipal year whichever threshold is reached first. Members are entitled to claim this additional SRA because, as substitutes, they do not fulfil a duty that they have agreed to take on as a permanent role, but instead are filling in for other councillors as and when necessary.

Travel and subsistence allowance

Travel and subsistence expenses are paid to members who claim for reimbursement of reasonable costs that have been necessarily incurred in undertaking a range of approved duties as defined in the scheme.

Travel costs are paid at the rate set by the Inland Revenue (currently 45p per mile).

Reimbursement is also made for costs incurred on journeys undertaken by public transport upon the production of receipts. Subsistence may be paid for other expenses incurred on approved duties such as overnight stays or on carers' allowance.

How the allowance levels are decided

We ask an Independent Remuneration Panel to look at the duties and responsibilities of councillors and make recommendations on the level of the basic allowance and SRAs it believes councillors should get.

In making a scheme of allowances we must consider the recommendations of the independent panel but we are not bound by them.

The panel's recommendations are reported to a full council meeting. Councillors decide whether to accept the levels recommended by the independent panel.

Members' allowances scheme for 2024/25

The independent panel's annual report sets out their recommendations for members' allowances for the year 2024/25.

Report of the Independent Remuneration Panel reviewing the Member Allowance Scheme for 2024-25 (PDF) [173KB].

The 2024/25 scheme was approved by Council on 5 December 2023. It forms part of our constitution.