Top councillors in line for big pay increase

Leading members of West Sussex County Council could pocket pay rises of up to more than 36 per cent, even though an independent panel recommended that allowances paid to members with special responsibilities should be raised only in line with an index-linking formula.

But the council's governance committee did not accept this, and is proposing massive increases for some senior councillors.

Cllr James Walsh described the proposed increases as 'outrageous' because they ignored the recommendations of the independent review panel.

The Liberal Democrat said: "In my view, there is no point in having an independent review panel, which takes it out of a political context, if it is going to be ignored. It makes a mockery of the process. The cabinet should be ashamed of themselves. We will fight this strenuously on Friday."

Coming after a series of hefty increases in council tax in recent years, and the prospect of even more to come, the move is certain to provoke strong reactions.

The special responsibility allowances are paid on top of a basic allowance given to all county councillors, currently standing at 10,546 a year.

For full story and details of the increases, see West Sussex Gazette December 12