COUNCILLORS will be paid at least £87 more next year after Wychavon District Council voted for a pay increase of two per cent.

The district council went along with the recommendations of the independent remuneration panel (IRP) and voted for its own pay increase to boost the basic allowance for councillors to £4,437 a year.

The increase means the leader of Wychavon District Council will receive an extra £261 next year - pushing his allowance up to £13,311 - and the deputy leader’s allowance will rise by an extra £152 to £7,765.

The council’s six portfolio holders will all receive £6,656 for their respective roles on the executive board and the chairman of the planning committee will also receive the extra £131 after the unanimous council vote.

The council decided to vote against the recommendations in the IRP’s report, and decided the chairman of the planning committee should be paid the same as other portfolio holders, as has been the tradition at the district council in recent years.

Councillor Bradley Thomas, leader of the district council, said: “The rationale for this is that the work done by the planning committee chairman is significant and, at times, often quite a heavy workload.

“We have got the current planning committee chairman in the room, we have got several former chairs of the planning committee in the room and we have got an abundance of members who have all seen for yourselves the work that this can involve – particularly as we are undergoing the South Worcestershire Development Plan review.

“The workload of this role is not expected to lessen as time goes on.”

Cllr Peter Tomlinson asked why the IRP had recommended the planning committee chairman should receive less and suggested somebody should educate the panel on its work.

He said: “For anyone who really understands what happens at planning at district councils, this seems to me, totally anomalous.

“Someone, at some stage, should educate this panel in terms of the work that the chairman of the planning committee has to do.

“This happened four years ago and again we made the same amendment.

“In the next four years, would it be possible for someone from this council to educate the IRP and make it possible so that next time we don’t have to waste time on an amendment.”