FOREST councillors have approved a two per cent increase in their allowances. 

The increase, suggested by an independent panel and agreed by the full council last week, means ‘back bench’ councillors will see their allowance rise from  £4,500 to £4,650

The ‘multipliers’ for members of the decision-making Cabinet and chairs of committees remain the same.

That means leader of the council will receive £15,810, his deputy will get £12,090 and Cabinet members £11,160.

The chairs of the full council and planning, licensing and scrutiny committees will receive £9,300 while the vice-chair of the council and chair of the audit committees will get £6,975.

Chairman of the independent panel, Mr David Rees, said they had been told some councillors were out of pocket because of the amount they were spending on ‘consumables’ such as printer inks and the mileage rate of 45p per mile was not covering the cost of travel. 

He said: “We took all those things into consideration and what similar councils are paying and we recommend a rise in the basic allowance of two per cent based on September 2016 inflation.”

Mr Rees added that they were not recommending an increase in the mileage rate as that was set by the Inland Revenue and anything higher would mean a tax return would have to be filled out.

Leader of the council, Cllr Patrick Molyneux, (Con, Woolaston and Hewelsfield) said the payment should allow anybody to be able to afford to take on the role of district councillor – and it was ‘borderline’ that was the case at present. 

He said: “We are not here being paid – we are doing a duty for the community and this is an allowance to help us do that.   

“It’s important to have allowances to enable almost anybody in the community to act as a councillor and we are borderline as to whether that is applicable. 

“If you look at the demographic of the council I think we are short on younger members of the community with families but that will always be a difficult one to balance out. 

The allowance should not be so low as to deter people in the community from being a councillor.” 

He also said asking councillors to vote on the allowances was ‘onerous’. 

Three councillors – Labour’s Doug Scott of Mitcheldean and the two Green councillors, Chris McFarling (Newland and St Briavels) and Sid Phelps, who was elected the week before in the Lydbrook and Ruardean ward – voted against the move. 

Cllr McFarling said: “I accept the remarks on greater diversity but I find it awkward and inappropriate to accept a two per cent increase when all other public sector employees, including council staff , get a restricted increase.” 

Mr Rees said councillors could decline part or all of the increase