PAY rises for council members could be approved by city civic chiefs when plans for a boost in allowances go before councillors today.

Special Responsibility Allowances (SRA), such as being leader of the council or sitting in the cabinet, could increase after a report from the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) noted it was needed to reflect “the workload and complexity” of the roles.

Basic Allowance (BA), which is received by all councillors – some of whom work other jobs, may also receive a slight rise as it stays in line with the living wage. Members will now receive £12,285 per year, up from £11,817.

Southampton City Council says members receive this allowance to “recognise the time devoted by councillors” in their positions, which it equates to 27 hours of work per week.

This is the first time since 2014 that the authority’s Member’s Allowance Scheme has been reviewed.

A decision will be made at Full Council meeting today (Nov 21).

However, it comes after the authority announced plans to increase council tax by 2.99 per cent – which equates to about £41.30 a year for Band D homes.

When the proposals were announced last month, it said that this increase would allow it to maintain “vital” services while battling slashed government grants – which are set to be reduced by 54 per cent over the next three to five years.

Yet now the IRP has recommended that council leader Christopher Hammond should receive a SRA rise from £23,634 (2x the previous BA) to £30,713 (2.5x the new BA). This will mean the council head will see his yearly salary rise from £35,631 a year to £42,998.

Front bench councillors will also get a pay rise, if recommendations are approved, with their SRA increasing from £11,817 (1x the previous BA) to £15,336 (1.25x the new BA). In total cabinet members will earn £27,621, up from £23,634.

Nevertheless, Claire Ransom, deputy branch secretary of Southampton Unison, was not impressed by the proposals as her and other union members fight against council plans to close the last two authority-owned care homes in the city – which civic chiefs claim will save them £1.3 million.

“Our members who work in the residential care homes proposed for closure are facing the push to insecure work on the minimum wage with the risky private sector,” she said.

“We will be livid if councillors unashamedly agree to increasing allowances for themselves when they are proposing to trample on vulnerable elderly residents and the loyal, caring workforce.

“This would simply be unjustifiable, especially in the current financial climate.”

Southampton City Council said it did not think it was appropriate to make a comment until the report was presented to councillors at its Full Council meeting.

The report was produced as part of the authority’s requirement to “receive independent advice” on members’ allowances. Councillors from different parties and in different roles were interviewed as part of the process.

It was also noted that the SRA national average for council leaders in unitary authorities – like Southampton – is £31,969, with cabinet members receiving £14,342. The average for BA is £11,367.

However, neighbouring unitary authority Portsmouth City Council only pays its leader an SRA of £19,719, and its cabinet £7,669, with councillors being given a BA of £10,955.

Also in the report, to be discussed at Full Council, the IRP notes that other SRAs, such as a communications allowance of £15 per month – to subsidise members who use their own broadband and phone lines to communicate with constituents, remain unchanged.

The Panel also recommended that any annual increase in the level of BA, and other allowances, take effect from June 1 each year.

However, Ms Ransom added: “As a trade union we, of course, support employers paying the living wage to workers and providing good carer’s allowances, maternity, paternity and parental schemes.

“We note that the basic and special responsibility allowances for councillors have not been reviewed since 2014, therefore it is appropriate to review them. However, it will and should be increasingly difficult for councillors to approve the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel to increase allowances.

“The council is not bound to follow the recommendations of the panel and should share the pressures of austerity with the wider council workforce, if the leadership truly stands for the many and not the few.”

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “For many families, council tax is the second largest bill after utilities, and it’s shocking that their hard earned money is being spent by some local authorities [on increasing allowances].

“Councils say they are cut to the bone but they somehow always find the money to line their own pockets.”

The council tax plans are currently in public consultation phase. To have your say, visit: www.southampton.gov.uk/council-democracy/have-your-say/budget-2019-2021