AN increase in basic allowances for St Helens councillors has been approved.

A vote on it took place at the full council meeting on Wednesday.

Councillors noted the outcome of the Independent Remuneration Panel’s review of the council’s members’ allowances scheme, and approved the panel’s recommendation.

The report to full council said the panel’s recommendation for a 6.44 per cent increase on the members allowances budget to be applied to the basic allowance element only, if approved, would amount to an increase of £41,900 on this budget in 2024/25.

Basic allowance to rise by 10.5 per cent

Although the allowance budget is rising by 6.44 per cent, the basic allowance of councillors is rising from £8,236 to £9,108 – which is an increase of 10.58 per cent.

Each council must appoint an independent remuneration panel made up of independent people to provide advice on the council’s members’ allowances scheme and make recommendations on changes to the scheme for the council to consider.

'Historic decline of allowances'

Peter Bounds, chair of the Independent Remuneration Panel, said: “When undertaking our review of the scheme for St Helens Borough Council, we considered a number of factors including St Helens having the lowest level across all other Liverpool City Region councils, how the National Minimum Wage would be applied to the role, the historic decline of allowances in real terms due to members choosing not to accept an annual increase and the impact of low allowance as a barrier to people wanting to serve these public roles.

“Councillors spend many hours working for the residents in their ward and to make it desirable for people from all walks of life to consider dedicating their time for the benefit of the public they need to not be impacted by the hours the role would take up.

“For a number of years councillors have chosen to not accept an annual uplift on the allowances which is a well-established provision in the scheme but with rising costs and councillor allowances falling behind neighbouring councils the panel agreed to recommend a rise in line with increased council staffing budget of 6.44 per cent.

"This would all be applied to the basic allowance element only.

"We didn’t recommend any increase to the special responsibility allowances in the scheme paid to those councillors who hold special responsibilities such as leader, cabinet member with portfolio responsibilities, chairs of committees, Mayor, opposition leaders of a political group with three or more members and so on."

'Not the right time'

During the full council meeting, independent Cllr James Tasker, who serves Rainhill, said he thinks "jumping it up by as much as what’s been suggested right now, it’s just not the right time" – especially when the council’s 'under such financial pressures and we’re having to cut essential services, close libraries, things like that'.

"It’s just not the right time that, the same year that we do all that, we then give ourselves a pay rise," he added.

“So I just think it should be pushed off for at least 12 more months.”