North Northamptonshire councillors to have their pay reviewed by independent members
North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) is set to establish a task force to review how much councillors are paid in allowances each year.
The report, going to the Democracy and Standards Committee next week (Monday, August 18), recommends that five independent members be appointed to consider pay levels for NNC’s 68 councillors.
The council’s scheme of allowances was last reviewed by an independent panel in 2022. It is statutorily required to review members’ remuneration and expenses every four years.
The basic allowance for all North Northants councillors is £14,906.78 per year.
Members with special responsibilities are reimbursed further, ranging from an extra £4,333.62 for chairs of certain committees to a further £30,761.20 for the leader of the council.
The current scheme provides an annual increase in payments to members on April 1 each year, in line with the National Joint Council pay award for local government staff. NNC has said that this needs to be reviewed before June 2026.
A recruitment process was undertaken over the summer for a new Independent Remuneration Panel. The list of appointees presented to the council includes:
- Mr Luke Bacon, a public sector management consultant and Associate Lecturer in Mathematics
- Mr Chris Davison, an NHS senior manager
- Mr Gerard Dempsey, a former CEO of an International Retail Business and retired member of the judiciary
- Mr Craig Ellis, who works in engineering management within the aviation sector
- Ms Sue Watts, Head of Development for Age UK Northamptonshire
According to a national census undertaken by the Local Government Association in 2022, on average, councillors spend 22 hours per week on council business. However, it did add that this depends on individual responsibilities and commitments.
Subject to the appointments being approved next week, the remuneration review will take place this autumn. It is intended to report its findings to the full council at its meeting in December 2025.
According to the report, the independent members will be appointed for a period of five years until May 2030. It is expected that they will also undertake interim reviews and the next full pay review in 2029.
Each Independent Remuneration Panel member will receive an allowance of £500 per review undertaken, plus reasonable expenses.