• About
    • Ethics policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ownership, funding and corrections
    • Complaints procedure
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
Brighton and Hove News
17 July, 2025
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Brighton and Hove News
No Result
View All Result
Home Brighton

Brighton and Hove councillors’ allowance to rise £1k to £13k a year

by Frank le Duc
Friday 7 Dec, 2018 at 9:56PM
A A
2
Brighton and Hove Citizens Advice Bureau moves out of town hall

Hove Town Hall

Councillors’ allowances look likely to rise by almost £1,000 from April, going up 7.3 per cent from £12,118 to £13,002.

The proposed £884 rise in the basic allowance won the backing of a council committee last night (Thursday 6 December) after an independent review.

The increase is expected take effect from the annual council meeting next May – after the next local elections – and is significantly higher than the 2 per cent public sector pay award.

An official report said that the overall bill for the “members’ allowance scheme” for Brighton and Hove City Council would come to £935,000 a year.

With some allowances being cut, this would mean a saving of £20,000 compared with the cost of the current scheme.

The final say will be given to all 54 councillors at a meeting of the full council at Hove Town Hall next Thursday (13 December).

Last night, Conservative members of the council’s Policy, Resources and Growth Committee tried to persuade colleagues to soften a cut to the allowance for the mayor of Brighton and Hove.

But the move, which would have given the mayor an allowance of £12,352, was defeated. The deputy mayor would have been granted £2,600 if the move had succeeded.

They now face a cut from £13,082 and £3,662 respectively to £9,752 and £1,950.

Conservative deputy leader Steve Bell said that the proposed drop in the mayor’s allowance recommended by the council’s Independent Remuneration Panel was too much.

Councillor Bell said: “I feel it is quite poor for the mayor’s position – the first citizen of Brighton and Hove – is held in high esteem.

“It is a role we demand a lot of. They chair the council meetings and do a great deal of work on a day-to-day basis.

“They take a whole year out of their life. They are committed to the city and committed to us.

“They are there. They are seen. They are at the front. I felt, unfortunately, the proposal put forward, the reduction, was far too much.”

Councillor Steve Bell

Labour deputy leader Gill Mitchell spoke against the Tory proposal. Councillor Mitchell said that the panel had reached an independent decision.

She said: “We have a system here which I believe is fair. The panel brings its work to us and to then simply unpick it I think is wrong.

“This is not to denigrate the mayor or show lack of respect for the work they do but I do think we have to abide by the recommendations of the panel.”

The method for working out the basic allowance assumes that councillors work 29 hours a week at £14.37 an hour, minus 40 per cent to recognise the public service ethos. This is then multiplied by 52 weeks of the year.

The rise is partly funded by reducing the amount paid to councillors who chair committees. For most of them, the special responsibility allowance will drop from £11,200 to £9,752.

The main exceptions are for the councillors who chair the Planning Committee and the Licensing Committee. They will receive £11,337 – down from £12,215.

Councillor Gill Mitchell

However, the special responsibility allowance for the leader of the council will rise from £32,142 to £32,505. But the deputy leader’s allowance falls from £22,499 to £19,503.

Those with children will be able to claim £9 an hour – in line with the living wage – for child care while undertaking approved duties up to a maximum of £1,800.

Ken Childerhouse, the chairman of the independent panel, told the committee that the panel was aware of the financial constraints on the council – and people’s perceptions.

He said: “We are aware of the constraints on members of the public, citizens of the city, faced with increases in utility bills and transport costs.

“The perception is they may not take too kindly if they thought the councillors were receiving too generous an allowance.”

Council leader Daniel Yates thanked the panel for their work in evaluating councillor’s work.

Councillor Yates said: “It is something we should avoid trying to do ourselves. It is almost impossible to judge your own value.”

The committee backed the panel’s recommendations although the final decision on the allowances will be made by the full council next Thursday.

ShareTweetShareSendSendShare

Comments 2

  1. Rostrum says:
    7 years ago

    Oink Oink…….

    Reply
    • Nostrum says:
      7 years ago

      Hardly. Have you been to any of their meetings?

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most read

How Brighton’s most useful shop keeps helping customers even though it’s closed

Brighton lawyer sold himself dead woman’s house for knockdown price, court told

Plans for £6.9m swimming pool go before council cabinet

Sinkhole appears outside financially troubled Brighton school

Bus info upgrade delays leaves passengers wondering when bus will turn up

Former Brighton student’s killer dies in Australian prison

Brighton and Hove councillors’ allowance to rise £1k to £13k a year

Smell from recycling site troubles neighbours, says councillor

Water company brings in hosepipe ban after dry spring and heatwaves

Group set up to focus on anti-social behaviour

Newsletter

Arts and Culture

  • All
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Food and Drink
An evening of goth sounds with The March Violets

An evening of goth sounds with The March Violets

15 July 2025
Love Supreme Festival 2025 – Day Three with Maxwell and friends

Love Supreme Festival 2025 – Day Three with Maxwell and friends

14 July 2025
Jessica Winter has ‘Got Something Good’ going on

Jessica Winter has ‘Got Something Good’ going on

13 July 2025
Palindrones headline a night of darkwave sounds in Brighton

Palindrones headline a night of darkwave sounds in Brighton

13 July 2025
Load More

Sport

  • All
  • Brighton and Hove Albion
  • Cricket
Plans for £6.9m swimming pool go before council cabinet

Plans for £6.9m swimming pool go before council cabinet

by Sarah Booker-Lewis - local democracy reporter
15 July 2025
35

Plans for a new public swimming pool are due to go before Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet on Thursday...

Sussex Sharks open T20 Blast with a win

Hampshire Hawks thwart Sussex Sharks in Blast

by Alex Smith - ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
13 July 2025
0

Hampshire Hawks 171-4 (17.2 overs) Sussex Sharks 167-7 (20 overs) Hampshire Hawks win by six wickets James Vince hit the...

We have an awful lot of work to do, says Sussex coach

Sussex must up their game in T20, says disappointed Farbrace

by Alex Smith - ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
11 July 2025
1

Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said: “It is a hugely disappointing night. We haven’t been consistent in the last three...

Sussex Sharks open T20 Blast with a win

Sussex Sharks flounder against Essex in T20 at Chelmsford

by Alex Smith - ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
11 July 2025
0

Essex 148-4 (16.1 overs) Sussex Sharks 145 (18.2 overs) Sussex Sharks lost to Essex by six wickets Michael Pepper’s pyrotechnical...

Load More
December 2018
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  
« Nov   Jan »

RSS From Sussex News

  • Suspected fare dodger attacks ticket inspector on train 15 July 2025
  • Man dies in three-car crash 13 July 2025
  • Boy, 15, injured in sword attack 13 July 2025
  • Water company brings in hosepipe ban after dry spring 11 July 2025
  • Police officer spared prison after being caught with child porn 11 July 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy
  • Complaints
  • Ownership, funding and corrections
  • Ethics
  • T&C

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Opinion
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Sport
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Contact

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News