Isle of Wight councillors voted tonight (Wednesday) in favour of the recommendations of an Independent Panel to increase their allowances.
Chairman of the council and of the meeting, Cllr Geoff Brodie (Ind Lab) explained that councillors aren’t paid a salary, but awarded an allowance by an Independent Panel. He said,
“We should have regard to what they recommend.”
Cllr Brodie went on to explain that he would not have been able to stand for the council in 2005, when he was in his 40s, and do it properly, without being able to go part time and be compensated for his loss of earnings.
He said,
“I will be voting in favour, in the full knowledge that as a result of media stirrings, and I am no friend of the media on the Island anymore, I know that there will attacks on us for ‘being greedy’ etc, but I am thick skinned enough to take that.”
Jones-Evans: This is the fairest mechanism that we’ve got
Cllr Julie Jones-Evans (Alliance) said she felt that it wasn’t a decision that they should be making themselves, but should be set nationally by government, so there was a fair settlement across the board.
“We need to be diverse and councillors need to represent truly the people they are there for. I would hate for us to regress and end up with just people who are independently wealthy and able to give their time freely.
“I want to thank all the hard work by the panel, this is the fairest mechanism that we’ve got.”
Garratt: No one should feel shame in receiving a councillors’ allowance
Cllr Andrew Garratt (LibDem) added to the debate, saying that it was important the public on the Island understand why members are voting for their own ‘pay’.
As someone who is self employed, Cllr Garratt said he explained to residents at election time that he could not be a councillor without an allowance, which compensated for the considerable time spent reading reams of paper, and attending meetings. He added,
“I tell my residents that I will always make sure that I have the time available in the day and evening to do my work as a councillor and am able to do that because of the allowance.
“No one here should feel any shame in receiving a councillors’ allowance.
“I am sure there will be a number of keyboard warriors who will be getting onto various sites to tell us we are doing something wrong, but as Cllr Jones-Evans says, this is work done by an Independent Panel and we are endorsing that.”
Jarman: I feel absolutely compelled to vote against it
Cllr Chris Jarman (Alliance) said the IWC are obligated to present the paper and thanked the work of the panel.
“Their role in this is critical to what we do, they are a fair panel and we should commend them for the work that they have done.”
He went on to single out Chris Mathews for his considerable work chairing the Panel and his work on the paper.
However, Cllr Jarman went on to explain that he could not vote for the increase in the allowance,
“I cannot find it appropriate to take an allowance increased by the rate of inflation when I know so many others on this Island will not benefit from that level of increase in their own circumstances.
“For that reason I feel absolutely compelled to vote against it.”
The recommendation
The recommendations read:
That the recommendations in the sixteenth report of the Independent Remuneration Panel be approved and that the Panel be thanked for its work in reviewing the Isle of Wight Council Members’ Allowance Scheme.
That the Isle of Wight Council Members’ Allowance Scheme as set out in Appendix 1 of the Independent Remuneration Panel’s report be approved to take effect on and from 1 April 2022, with the basic allowance for 2022/2023 being the amount for 2021/2022 of £8, 231.38 (plus any indexation amount for 2021/2022) and plus any annual indexation amount for 2022/2023 under the terms of the Scheme.
That, before implementation of any adjustment to the 2022/2023 basic allowance amount and any adjustments for subsequent years up to and including 2025/2026, the Independent Remuneration Panel be consulted.
The motion was carried with 17 members voting in favour, 15 voting against and two abstentions.
The full paper can be read on the council’s Website.
