Walsall Council votes in pay increase for members
Allowances for senior councillors in Walsall will go up after a controversial increase was approved.
The leader of the council, deputy leader and members of the decision-making cabinet will all see their pay go up from April. The move was passed at last night's meeting of Walsall Council. Up to 50 members of Walsall Pensioners Convention held a protest outside the Council House prior to the meeting urging members not to approve the rise.
The five Liberal Democrats, Independents Paul and Chris Bott and Democratic Labour Party member Pete Smith all voted against the move, while the Labour group did not vote.
The increase follows a review by independent experts who said the rise would bring the authority in line with neighbouring councils and eliminate existing "major discrepancies".
