Acting leader to slash Kirklees councillors’ allowances, saying elected members must 'take their fair share of the burden'

All councillors are entitled to a basic allowance of £15,080 each year, with extra payments for councillors with additional responsibilities.

Coun Scott is taking an immediate 10 per cent cut to her £27,210 allowance as leader and the nine other cabinet members have agreed to a five per cent reduction to their £13,709 cabinet allowance.

Coun Scott has kicked off a formal process that aims to reduce the total cost of councillor allowances by at least £100,000 per year. A formal report will be brought to September’s council meeting to begin the process.

She said: “In this tough financial climate, I believe that councillors need to take their fair share of the burden and show that we understand the difficult challenges families across our area are facing in the cost of living crisis.

“I have asked council officers to start a formal review of councillors’ allowances, with a view to making savings of at least £100,000 on the current annual cost.

"Every penny we can save frees up funding for vital local services which we want to protect.

“Councillors from all parties play an important role in communities across Kirklees. But, in difficult times, it’s important for us to show that we are putting the interests of the public above our own, stepping up to the challenges that we face, and that we are on the side of hard-working families across Kirklees.

“That is exactly what this new leadership intends to do.”

Due to the magnitude of its financial difficulties, Kirklees Council is looking to make savings across its various departments in order to balance its budget.

The local authority is projecting a £20.3m overspend on its £380m budget in this financial year and is implementing increasingly severe measures to save cash.

These include freezing all non-essential spending and recruitment, upping discretionary fees and making 250 members of its workforce redundant.

Earlier this week, Coun Scott revealed her new cabinet and set out her priorities as acting leader which include setting a “fair and balanced” budget and pressuring the government into a fairer funding deal for Kirklees.