At KCC’s Annual Meeting, held virtually yesterday [Wednesday, June 17], Councillors overwhelmingly voted to approve a new members’ allowance scheme, which will see all Councillors receive a 4.2 per cent pay rise.
The scheme, which was formulated in July 2017, will see the basic allowance for County Council representatives rise from £15,561.94 to £16,217.00.
Members of the Cabinet and those holding committee positions, including the leader of the opposition, will see further increases in allowances.
Cllr Roger Gough, the Conservative leader of the Council, has gone from earning £51,175 a year to £53,239, in addition to the £16,217 he receives for being on the Council.
The vote comes after it was revealed the authority is facing an ‘enormous’ black hole in its books, with the Covid emergency costing the authority around £200million.
Councillors have even mooted the possibility of holding a referendum to allow the authority to increase Council Tax beyond the 6 per cent permissible in law.
