Cannock Chase councillors reject proposed increase on annual allowances
Cannock Chase councillors have agreed to reject a proposed increase in their annual allowances that would seen them able to claim an extra £142 each in the coming year.
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District councillors are not paid for their work representing residents in their wards, but they are currently able to claim £5,706 “basic allowance” for the year.
An independent remuneration panel recommended that the basic allowance be increased by 2.5% for 2025/26. But on Wednesday (January 22) councillors agreed to freeze the payment at its current level, as the authority faces budget challenges and controversial proposals to reduce costs, such as potentially closing Cannock’s Prince of Wales Theatre and the Museum of Cannock Chase.
Council leader Tony Johnson said: “With the challenges many of our residents face, and the financial constraints we face ourselves, I’m going to move we don’t accept the recommendation of the report. I’m going to suggest the allowances remain at their present level.
“The allowances have been frozen since 2021 and they still compare favourably with comparable councils.”
There are also special allowances available for those in more senior roles, such as cabinet members, committee chairs, the chair of the council and the leader and their opposition counterpart. The panel recommended a 1.5% rise for these, which was rejected at Wednesday’s full council meeting, but elected members also voted against an amendment put forward by Councillor Andrea Muckley to cut special allowances to bring them more in line with those paid by neighbouring authorities in Stafford and Lichfield.
Councillor Muckley told fellow elected members that while Cannock Chase Council’s leader could claim a £19,403 allowance, the allowance for Stafford Borough Council’s leader was around £12,000. The special allowance for the chair of Cannock Chase Council – a civic role – is £9,559, but in Lichfield the chair’s allowance was £2,885, she added.
Councillor Richard Craddock said elected members had the option to not take their allowance however. “I would be willing to forgo my allowance and I wonder how many other councillors would do the same”, he added.
Councillor Paul Fisher said that following a similar debate 12 years ago he had donated his allowance increase to support children’s football in his Brereton and Ravenhill ward. And Councillor Mike Sutherland said: “I wanted to forgo my allowance 12 years ago, which I did.
“The Prince of Wales Theatre closing would be a disaster, so I would willingly forgo members’ allowance if we could spend it on keeping the Prince of Wales.”
Current allowances available for Cannock Chase Council members
Basic Allowance: £5,706
Leader of the Council: £19,403
Deputy Leader of the Council: £9,903
Councillors of Cabinet: £8,578
Leader of the Opposition: £7,260
Chair of Planning Control Committee: £4,619
Chairs of Scrutiny Committees: £2,138
Chair of Licensing and Public Protection Committee: £1,982
Chair of Audit and Governance Committee: £1,982
Councillors of Shadow Cabinet: £1,282
Chair of the Council: £9,559
Vice-Chair of the Council: £3,767
