Council and democracy
Councillors, democracy and elections
Councillors - allowances
Welcome To Wirral
Councillors - Allowances
Members of the Council are entitled to be paid allowances in accordance with regulations issued by the Government, the latest being the Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003. The regulations require each local authority to agree a scheme, which should be based on the recommendations of an Independent Remuneration Panel (i.e. one composed of non-members of the Council).
The current scheme, which came into operation in April 2004 and runs to March 2008, can be read in full in Part 6 of the Council’s Constitution or can be inspected at the Town Hall, Wallasey, during office hours. In summary, it provides for the following payments:
- A basic allowance of £9,000 per annum for all members.
- A special responsibility allowance for a limited number of councillors who take on additional responsibilities, such as Cabinet members and committee chairs. These range from £22,500 (for the Leader of the Council, who has particularly onerous responsibilities) to £900.
- Reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs.
- A dependant carer’s allowance, to support any councillors with child care responsibilities.
No provision has been made in the scheme for the payment of pensions to former councillors.
An annual summary of the amounts paid to councillors is also available for inspection