Councillors in Bury are to receive increases in allowances of more than 20 per cent after an independent panel reviewed their pay. At a meeting of the full council at Bury Town Hall yesterday 47 of 57 members present voted to accept the recommendations of a three strong panel who conducted the first review of councillor allowances in more than a decade.
One member who vehemently opposed the pay rises told the council that those who supported the scheme’s implementation lacked ‘any moral conscience’ and that the uplifts were ‘unethical’. The recommendations put forward by the independent remuneration panel were supported by all Labour and Conservative councillors.
The pay rises will see each of the 51 councillors receive a basic allowance of £10,791 per year, up from £8,947 in 2021/22, a 21 per cent rise. Councillors with special responsibilities will also see their allowances go up.
