Published: Thursday, 26th November, 2009 9:19am

Freeze councillors' salaries, says report

by Peter Swindon

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Fife Council's leader Peter Grant

Councillors' salaries should be frozen for two years according to the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC).

Finance secretary John Swinney asked the body to examine whether councillors' salaries should be increased for 2010-11 and what might be an appropriate pay rise in 2011-12.

In its report, SLARC makes 15 recommendations to Ministers, including a pay freeze for local authority members for two years from 1st April 2010.

Independent councillors Willie Clark and Alex Maxwell backed the recommendation but urged the UK government to legislate against bankers' bonuses at the earliest opportunity.

"Freezing councillors' salaries is an important gesture which I'd support," Cllr Clarke said, "but if it is to be meaningful it has to be replicated nationally - the government has to take a decision that no bonuses will be paid to bankers that work for the banks that the government controls."

Councillor Maxwell added, "I think the salaries paid to council executives and senior politicians should also be frozen."

Fife's Labour councillors will also support the recommendation.

Speaking on their behalf, Lochgelly and Cardenden councillor Mark Hood said, "I would go further and call for a freeze of all executive officers' wages over the same period.

"As community leaders we have a responsibility to show restraint.

"Over the next few years we will have to make some hard choices and it is only right that we do what we can to protect those important frontline services."

Council leader Peter Grant said, "There's a clear acceptance among councillors that we should not expect a pay award that is more generous than the awards we can afford to give to most of our employees.

"In the current very difficult economic climate it's hard to argue for a pay rise for councillors when many of our employees may get no cost of living increase.

"There may be an argument to exempt councillors on the lowest salaries if a similar exemption is eventually agreed for council employees on the same salary. If your family's only source of income is £16,000 per year, life is going to be tough whether you get that salary for being a councillor or a council employee," said Cllr Grant.

Fellow SNP councillor Ian Chisholm, who represents Lochgelly and Cardenden, also admitted that it would be "tough on many hard working councillors".

He added, "But It has to be tholed if we are expecting public sector employees to share the same burden as private employees."