Drop in allowances paid to Telford & Wrekin councillors

The total paid to 54 councillors and 15 co-optees in the year 2014/15 was £613,484, which is £62,298 or 9.2 per cent less than was paid in 2009/10 and £4,880 less than the figure last year.

Councillors all receive a basic allowance of £7,870 a year for their work. Further special responsibility allowances are paid to councillors who perform additional duties such as a cabinet or scrutiny role. The total allowances paid to councillors in 2014/15 was £611,753.

This is £23,000 below what councillors were entitled, due mainly to the Council cabinet’s decision to take a voluntary 10% reduction in their additional responsibilities allowance.

Councillors and co-optees can also claim reimbursements for expenses incurred in their council work. In 2014/15 this was £2,698 – compared with £12,409 claimed in 2010/11.

Council leader Kuldip Sahota said: “It is only right that at a time when public services are under extreme financial pressures, that councillors continue to reduce their cost to the public

“Over the last six years, the total paid to councillors has fallen by over £62,000. A significant part of this has been thanks my cabinet volunteering to forgo ten per cent of their special responsibility allowance. Over the last four years the Cabinet not claiming their full allowances has saved more than £91,000 alone.

“As the Council faces at least a further £35 million of cuts over the next three years, it is only right that my cabinet are committed to continue to take this cut.

“As an open council it’s also important that we publish this information so that the public know what their representatives get for the work that they do as councillors.”

Full details of what each councillor is paid and claimed is avalible at www.telford.gov.uk/opencouncil