An independent panel’s recommendation of a 13 per cent rise in the basic allowance paid to Cambridgeshire county councillors has been rejected.
Instead, they will receive a one per cent rise after approving the increase during a full council meeting at Shire Hall, Cambridge, today (Tuesday).
The independent report had recommended that the basic allowance of £7,610 increase to £8,600 but that was thrown out.
The revised allowances package will see major changes in the way responsibility payments are shared as Cambridgeshire moves from a cabinet to a committee system.
Above the basic allowance, the leader of the council’s largest political group, the Conservatives, will receive a special responsibility allowance (SRA) of £15,000; the leaders of the Lib Dem and UKIP group will receive £11,000 and the leaders of the Labour and Independent Group will receive £7,000. In addition, the service committee chairmen will get SRAs of £12,000 while the chairman of the general purposes committee is entitled to an additional allowance of £6,000.
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