Against a backdrop of austerity, job losses, privatisation, wage freezes and calls to cut costs, Cornwall councillors will vote on whether to give themselves a bumper 35 per cent pay rise at next week’s full council meeting.

The recommendation is that pay rises from £12,148 to £16,400 and that mileage allowances increase in line with the HMRC guidelines to 45p a mile.

This would take the total amount of cash spent on basic allowances alone from £1,491,744 to £2,017,200. Further payments are also made depending on roles and responsibilities, taking the final bill significantly higher.

Councillors will also be able to claim £6 for breakfast, £9 for lunch and £12.95 for dinner, while they can claim £77.72, for hotel stays outside major cities, £100 per night in major cities, and £130 per night for hotel stays in London.

The report to go before councillors says: “The Panel acknowledges that the basic allowance recommended represents a fairly significant increase on their previous recommendation of £14,600 but, in their view, this properly reflects the nature of the commitment required and the full scope of member responsibilities. The increase equates to an increase of just under 11 per cent on the previous recommendation. It also considers that this increase adequately covers any incidental costs to ensure that members do not suffer financial loss.

“In coming to its conclusion, the Panel recognised that a basic allowance based on an expected time commitment of 35 hours would equate to an amount of £22,653 per annum.

The panel’s recommendation that the basic allowance be set at £16,200 per annum would be implemented for the newly elected council from May 2013.

*Are your wages frozen, do you think councillors should enjoy an inflation busting 35 per cent rise?

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