Enfield councillors vote to give themselves 4% pay rise

The hike is the first time since 2009 the basic allowance for Enfield councillors has increased, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Members of Enfield’s Labour administration have voted to give all councillors a pay rise for the first time since 2009.

The 4.04% hike – set to cost the council £40,827 – will add £427 to the annual allowance paid to all councillors for their basic duties, bringing their new pay packet to £10,997.

The same percentage rise will also be applied to special responsibility allowances, which are awarded to those in senior positions such as committee chairs and cabinet members.

Despite the hike, basic allowances for Enfield councillors will remain below the level recommended by an independent review panel (IRP) set up to advise on councillor pay in London, which proposed setting an annual rate of £12,014.

Labour members approved the 4% increase during the council’s annual general meeting on Wednesday (11th), despite opposition from the Conservatives. Tory leader Alessandro Georgiou said he was “not unsympathetic to a review of allowances” but added that “now is simply not the right time”.

Pointing out that pay increases had been voted down every year since 2009 – meaning the basic allowance was frozen at £10,570 – he said times were currently difficult for residents, “whichever way you vote, wherever you live, whether you are in Enfield, in London, or the rest of the country”.

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Cllr Georgiou said the way coucncillor allowances work is “bizarre” and called for a similar arrangement to the independent body that decides MPs’ pay. He added that he would be happy to write a joint letter together with the council leader calling on the government to change the law and take allowances “out of our hands altogether”.

Other Conservative councillors planned to speak, but Labour members voted to go straight to a summary of the proposal.

Council leader Nesil Caliskan said she was happy to agree with Cllr Georgiou’s recommendations, and she had already gone on the record stating that she would welcome the government taking steps to ensure allowances are set by an independent body.

Pointing out that the current system means councillors have to decide their own pay, she added: “I think a 4.04% increase, which is well below inflation, is appropriate. As I have said, I think councillor remuneration needs to not be an incentive or a disincentive.

“But I would also say that councillors are residents of this borough, and it is right and appropriate. So in the spirit of recognising the work that councillors do, and the necessary representation that democracy requires, I’m comfortable with making this proposal.”

Labour members voted in favour of the pay rise, with Conservatives voting against.

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