Liverpool Council says the recommendations for pay rises come after a six-month study by an independent panel
18:05, 10 Jan 2025Updated 18:05, 10 Jan 2025
Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool City Councillors, its leader and cabinet members are in line for bumper pay increases if plans are approved. An independent remuneration panel is recommending that payments received by Liverpool City Councillors should be increased after a comparison with other similar cities showed allowances that are ‘currently far lower.’
The recommendations follow a six month study which has benchmarked the current allowances against other local authorities across the country, as well as taking into account national pay awards received by council staff since 2019, the commitment elected members make in fulfilling their roles, and national Local Government Association (LGA) guidelines.
It found Liverpool’s basic allowance of £10,590 compares with a ‘core city’ average of £14,946.62, meaning the city’s councillors are presently “significantly under-compensated in comparison to their counterparts”.
The panel concluded the demands on Liverpool’s Councillors are “significantly greater due to the city’s scale and complexity” and that “these factors place additional strain on councillors, requiring more time, expertise and dedication”.
If the recommendations are agreed at a full council meeting on Wednesday January 22, it will mean:
- The Basic Allowance for councillors will be increased from £10,590 to £13,500
- The allowance for the leader of the council will be raised from £42,100 to £47,250
- The allowance for the deputy leader of the council will be raised from £16,014 to £23,625
- The allowance for cabinet members will be raised from £13,269 to £20,250
- The allowance for leader of the opposition will be increased from £11,341 to £16,875
Scrutiny committee chairs will see their allowances rise from £8,832 to £10,125 while the chair of planning will now bring in £11,475. Members of the planning committee do not currently get an allowance but will now be paid £2,700 per year on top of their basic allowance.
There is currently a £20-per-meeting fee paid to independent members of the audit committee, and the independent chair of the Standards and Ethics Committee but this is set to rise significantly to £750 per meeting. Co-opted members of the Education, Skills and Employment Committee will go from £20 per meeting to £375 per meeting.
Currently a party must have at least 20% of all councillors for its leader to become the official leader of the opposition in Liverpool, while the official minority group leader must be in charge of a group with a minimum of four elected members. These thresholds will be removed if the new plans go ahead.
Chair of the Independent Remuneration Panel, Andy Brown, said: “The allowances paid to councillors do not represent a wage or salary, but need to be reflective of the time and commitment that is needed to be an effective elected member.
“There has been a significant disparity between the growth of councillors’ basic allowances and salary trends, which emphasises the need for a more substantial adjustment as it no longer aligns with the economic realities of 2024.
“Raising the basic allowance is critical for ensuring Liverpool remains competitive in attracting and retaining talented individuals to serve as councillors, and making sure the position is not undervalued. We believe our recommendations are reasonable and prudent, striking a balance between affordability and adequate compensation for their work.”
The proposals will be considered by the council’s Constitution and Governance Committee on Wednesday 15 January, before a final decision is made by councillors at the City Council meeting on Wednesday 22 January.