Councillors’ pay to be frozen after minister blocks rises of almost 20%

COUNCILLORS in Scotland will have their pay frozen for a third year running despite a recommendation to boost it by almost a fifth.

The decision by the Scottish Government comes as the UK as a whole tries to cope with austerity measures to deal with the economic crisis and the country’s high debt with measures including freezing most public sector pay.

The Scottish Local Authority Remuneration Committee 2010 Review had suggested that backbench councillors should see their pay rise from £16,234 to £18,916.

But local government minister Derek Mackay has decided not to implement recommendations of the committee’s review.

Instead, ministers will consider the recommendations next year, ahead of 2013-14.

Mr Mackay said: “The Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee undertook the first fundamental review of councillors’ remuneration since 2006 and I have considered their findings carefully.

“Against a background of unprecedented cuts to Scotland’s budget by the UK government and the need for continuing pay restraint across the public sector, I have decided not to implement any further recommendations of the 2010 Review report at this time.

“We have always sought to ensure that pay policy is fair and affordable across the areas of the public sector that we have responsibility for, which includes councillors’ pay.”

He added: “Any increase in pay would put additional pressure on local authority budgets and I have decided that councillor’s pay will remain frozen in 2012-13.

“I will look again at the SLARC recommendations next year, ahead of 2013-14, to see what is affordable, sustainable and appropriate at that time.”

The 2010 review recommended council leaders receive between £44,137 and £63,053. Gordon Matheson, the leader of Scotland’s biggest council – Glasgow – currently receives about £45,000.

At the time of the review the panel pointed out that councillors had only received a 5 per cent pay rise in total since 2007 and that the median Scottish wage is £25,221.

At the time it said: “This is our first fundamental review since 2005. The context of the review is very different to that when we were first commissioned to report in February 2010, and this has evolved sufficiently to impact upon our final recommendations.

“We have had to look at councillors’ remuneration against an economic backcloth that has changed beyond recognition. We are suggesting the Scottish Government should consider our recommendations on pay alongside those of the Commission Report on Public Service Delivery to see if some of these recommendations could be self-financing.”

The committee also said that it would bring Scottish councillors in line with their Welsh counterparts, who are better paid.