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Calderdale councillors’ allowances will rise by about six per cent in the new council year which starts in May.

Cross-party Standards Committee councillors agreed to recommend to the full Calderdale Council that members approve the rise, produced from a set formula in line with pay rises which staff receive.

At full council, members will need to approve the increase before the new rates can be paid.

The council’s Head of Legal, Ian Hughes, reminded members the rises are those in line with the percentage increase which has been awarded to council officers.

Halifax Town Hall, home of Calderdale Council

The issue was slightly different this year given the cost of living crisis and the indication given that the percentage increase should be higher for some staff, the Local Government Association reporting that there should be a lump sum payable to council employees which was just under £2,000.

The thinking behind this was that for employees on lower salaries it would be a bigger percentage increase, less for those who were fortunate to have a higher pay scale.

The impact of all this on members’ allowances is that the rise is equivalent to an increase of six per cent, said Mr Hughes.

The basic annual allowance for each of the 51 councillors is currently £10,744 with higher rates for some positions, for example Cabinet members, party group leaders and committee chairs.

The rise in allowances will have to be confirmed at a full Calderdale Council meeting

The issue is always considered early in the new year so changes can be in place when the new council year starts in May.

Individual councillors can choose not to take the rise – the committee heard that one Labour member and one Conservative member had taken this option last year.

Co-opted committee member Val Stevens said a proper regular review of such issues needed to be set up, reviewing things every few years and taking the politics out of the process by removing it from the political cycle.

It could come up with a realistic figure of what allowances should be and rises could be incremental without need for what seemed to be big increases.

“Everybody including councillors deserves an accurate reflection of the efforts they put in,” she said.

Six per cent increase in allowances for Calderdale councillors is agreed