26 October 2001
Research by the Improvement and Development Agency has shown that one third of councils have now completed the review process, initiated by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions earlier this year.
It involves each council setting up an independent panel to examine how much councillors should be paid for carrying out their duties.
Among those councils who have drawn up new allowance structures, the average basic remuneration for a backbench member has increased to £4,380. The average payment to the leader of the council has risen to £12,500.
Paul Wheeler, assistant director of member development at the IDA, said the increases in allowances were necessary to encourage a wider range of people to stand.
'If we're asking people to do this demanding role on our behalf they should have fair compensation. This is not so much a high increase, but the correction of the long-standing anomaly of low compensation for councillors,' he said.
'Adequate, flexible and independently reviewed allowances for all members are absolutely necessary if the status of councillors is to be revived, and interest in local democracy renewed.'
The DTLR was not available for comment.
PFoct2001
