Belfast City Council members voted against a pay raise for the fourth year in a row and agreed to transfer power over their wages to an independent body outside of the council. The decision comes amidst ongoing calls for greater transparency and accountability in councillor remuneration.
Belfast City Council members have once again declined a pay raise for the fourth consecutive year, opting to transfer control over their remuneration to an external body. During a recent council committee meeting, representatives unanimously approved a Sinn Féin proposal to establish a council-based remuneration committee , excluding elected officials. This committee will be responsible for determining councillor pay and allowances.
The council has also committed to writing to Stormont, the devolved legislature in Northern Ireland, to advocate for the establishment of a fully independent body overseeing councillor remuneration. Currently, councillors can vote on pay increases annually by amending the council's scheme of allowances, which covers basic allowances, special responsibility allowances, and dependents' carers' allowances. Belfast Council has refrained from implementing any increases in basic or special responsibility allowances since March 2021. However, they have consistently approved annual increases in dependents' carers' allowances. At the recent Strategic Policy and Resources Committee meeting, council officials proposed a rise in the basic allowance from £15,486 per annum to £17,456, effective April 1, 2024, and an increase in the maximum special responsibility allowance from £117,774 to £132,751, also starting April 1, 2024. An increase to the dependents' carers' allowance in line with the national living wage for 2025 to 2026 was also proposed.Sinn Féin Councillor Ronan McLaughlin, who spearheaded the proposal, argued that determining councillor pay should be independent of elected representatives. He envisioned the remuneration committee comprising the Chief Executive, Head of HR, City Solicitor, and Director of Finance, granting them full delegated authority over councillor remuneration. He acknowledged that this was not a perfect solution, but emphasized the necessity to remove the decision-making power from councillors. DUP Councillor Sarah Bunting echoed McLaughlin's sentiment, stating that the current system, where councillors decide their own allowances, is unacceptable. She highlighted the four-year freeze on pay increases and acknowledged the financial pressures faced by some councillors who rely solely on this income. Council officials will now write to Stormont and present a report outlining the potential for establishing a new internal body with authority over councillor remuneration
Local Government Belfast City Council Councillor Pay Remuneration Committee Stormont Independent Body Pay Rise
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