Chesterfield councillors vote to increase their allowances
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The Independent Remuneration Panel recommended that members of Chesterfield Borough Council see their basic allowance rise from £5,998 to £6,118 from April 1.
Councillors receive a basic allowance for their time and to help cover costs they incur while they are serving their community.
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Hide AdSpecial responsibility allowances are also given to councillors who have leading roles.
The independent panel - which was made up of Chesterfield residents - recommended that special responsibility allowances should increase for the chair of the planning committee (from £4,754 to £5,754); the vice-chair of the planning committee (from £2,377 to £2,877); the chair of the appeals and regulatory committee (from £4,754 to £5,754); the vice-chair of the appeals and regulatory committee (from £2,377 to £2,877) and the chair of the standards and audit committee (from £2,377 to £4,754).
In addition, the panel recommended that the chair of the licensing committee should be able to claim a special responsibility allowance of £4,754.
Harry Fone, grassroots campaign manager at right-wing pressure group the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “If councillors’ allowances weren’t so high, there would be more money to spend on frontline services like bin collections.”
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Hide AdThe Independent Remuneration Panel’s report states: “The panel were keen to ensure that members’ efforts were suitably remunerated and did not serve as a barrier to public service.”
The panel recommended there be no increase to the special responsibility allowances which can be claimed by the borough council leader (£28,343), the deputy leader (£15,592), cabinet members (£7,779), assistant cabinet members (£3,889), the leader of the minority group (£8,861), the chair of employment and general committee (£3,565) and the chair of the scrutiny committee (£4,754).
The panel also recommended that the special responsibility allowance for the vice-chair of the scrutiny committee be reduced from £2,330 to £1,585.
The panel’s recommendations were considered and agreed at a recent meeting of the borough council.
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Hide AdChesterfield Borough Council is currently made up of 28 Labour Party councillors, 17 Liberal Democrat Party councillors and three independent councillors.