Barnsley Councillors Approve Increase in Basic Allowances

Councillors in Barnsley have approved an approximate £400 increase to their basic allowance for the forthcoming financial year. This decision follows concerns articulated by councillors that their remuneration had remained unchanged since 2021, which, when considering high inflation, constituted an effective reduction in pay. Consequently, councillors will now receive an annual basic allowance of £12,237, marking an increase of £414 from the previous £11,823, intended to cover expenses related to their duties. Initially, an Independent Remuneration Panel had recommended maintaining the basic allowance at its current level for the upcoming year, expressing apprehension regarding public perception of a substantial pay rise. Nevertheless, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the panel subsequently took into account feedback from councillors and recognized the necessity for an increment. This led the panel to recommend an increase in allowances across various categories, including both the basic allowance and special responsibility allowances. This 2.5% increase, which is backdated to 1 April, aligns with the rise agreed for staff by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services, with an additional 1%. The total expenditure for councillors’ basic allowances in the 2024-25 financial year is projected to be approximately £770,931, representing an additional cost of £52,006. Concurrently, travel allowances are set to increase by 25%, a change attributed to cost escalations driven by inflation. For comparison, councillors in North Yorkshire received £15,550 in basic allowances during 2023-24, with an independent panel proposing an increase to £17,000 for 2024-25. In contrast, councillors in Wakefield decided last month to freeze their allowances. Council leader Denise Jeffery stated that “they should not take a rise while residents were struggling with the cost of living.”