Halton councillors knock back pay rise
Cllr Mike Wharton said he didn't want to add to the cost of the allowances scheme while Margaret Ratcliffe cited the cost of living crisis.
Runcorn Town Hall. (Runcorn Weekly News)
By Mark Smith, Local Democracy Reporter
The leaders of Halton Council and its main opposition group say they are turning down a recommended rise in their allowances.
All councillors receive a basic allowance, but some with specific roles receive additional money known as special responsibility allowances (SRA).
An independent panel conducts a review of these allowances every three years, with recommendations recently being made that Halton's should be set no lower than 90% of the average of those paid by other nearby councils such as those in the Liverpool City Region, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Warrington authorities.
For most Halton members this year, the recommendation would have meant no change from previous years in the basic allowance.
But it would have resulted in an increase in SRA for council leader Mike Wharton, and Margaret Ratcliffe, leader of the borough's Liberal Democrats - which is Halton's biggest opposition group with three members.
But Cllr Wharton (Labour) told a recent council meeting he would not be accepting the recommended increase.
He said: "On a personal basis, I am declining the increase in SRA of 5% recommended for the leader's allowance.
"I've no wish to add to the cost of the scheme."
Cllr Ratcliffe told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Any pay rise is wholly inappropriate given the ongoing context of the cost of living crisis that residents of Halton are experiencing and the spending cuts that Halton Council has to make.
"Residents of Halton have been hard hit by rising household bills and the devastating impact of Covid-19.
"As councillors, our job is to deliver a balanced and sustainable budget that will encompass spending on the council's priority areas and protect our frontline services.
"This is not a time to accept any rise in allowances and therefore I will not be accepting the recommendation by the independent panel."
The independent panel consists of Rachael Owen, chief executive at Halton Chamber, John Downes MD at Langtree and John Lewis, MD at SOG Ltd.
