Council boss says no to 56 per cent rise

The Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP), which is made up of people with no connection to the council, has proposed a series of changes to allowances which will be considered by the full council on 21 February.

Apart from Coun Hill, allowances for opposition group leaders are also recommended to rise significantly, in light of the responsibility of providing an effective opposition.

However, even if the proposals are accepted, any member can choose to forego all or any of their allowance.

Coun Hill said: “I’d like to thank the panel for their hard work and believe their recommendations are reasonable.

“However, I don’t think this is the right time for me to take such an increase. So regardless of the decision taken at full council, I shall not be accepting the additional money. This is a personal decision,”