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Councillors in Wales could receive redundancy payments if they are voted out

30 Oct 2023 4 minute read
Mick Antoniw speaking during Wednesday’s session in the Senedd.

Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter

Councillors could receive payments when they are voted out by the electorate in future, a committee has heard.

Under the Elections and Elected Bodies bill, councillors in Wales who lose their seats could receive a resettlement payment.

The policy attempts to remove barriers, such as for people with caring responsibilities, and ease the transition for those who are giving up their careers to stand for election.

Transitional payments

Similar arrangements are already in place for members of the Senedd and UK Parliament.

After the 2021 election, ten former MSs were awarded transitional payments ranging from £14,000 to £40,000, which cost the public purse more than £360,000, according to a freedom of information request.

The resettlement grant for MSs is guided by the independent remuneration board which produces an annual ‘determination’ on members’ pay and allowances.

Mick Antoniw, the Welsh Government’s chief legal officer, appeared before the Senedd’s local government committee to give evidence on the bill.

He said: “We use the term ‘resettlement payments’; to be honest, I suppose more coming from my legal background, I see it as almost a sort of redundancy payment.

“And redundancy payments were established to actually provide that buffer for working people when they lost their employment.

“I think that equally applies to those who take up elected office.”

The counsel general told the meeting on Thursday 26 October: “It is just about providing a buffer in terms of the fact that after an election there will be a number of candidates who have stood but are now basically unemployed.”

Michael Kay, senior responsible officer for the bill, explained it would be for the renamed Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru to design the scheme and set payments.

“It’s part of the demonstration of respect for elected members,” he said. “So, in the same way that Members of Parliament or the Senedd would receive a resettlement payment, the intention is to respect the nature of the role of a councillor.”

Councillors receive an annual allowance of about £17,000, with certain office holders receiving more, according to a report. Council leaders, for example, are paid between £56,000 and £66,000 a year.

Registration

The committee also heard concerns that plans for automatic enrolment for Welsh elections, but not UK polls, risks confusing voters.

Under the bill, citizens would not have to apply to register to vote in Senedd or council elections. But the proposed reforms will not apply to Westminster nor police commissioner elections.

John Griffiths, who chairs the local government committee, raised concerns about possible confusion among voters, asking: “Might they think because they’re automatically enrolled for Welsh elections that that will also apply to UK elections?”

Mr Antoniw acknowledged the issue but he pointed to other examples of differences between elections in Wales and Westminster, such as 16- and 17-year-olds being able to vote for the first time during the Senedd Election in May 2021.

According to the Electoral Commission, about 400,000 people in Wales are not on the electoral register.

Privacy

Jayne Bryant, the Labour MS for Newport West, sought assurances that people’s privacy will be respected.

She asked: “What steps are being taken to reassure more vulnerable people that nothing will be placed on the record without their approval?”

Mr Antoniw explained that as people are automatically added to the register, they would be notified within 45 days. He said people will be able to anonymise their details or opt out.

Asked about unintended consequences for people who are illiterate or speak English as a second language, the counsel general stressed that the plans would be piloted.

The Elections and Elected Bodies bill would also create duties around improving diversity as well as disqualify councillors from serving as members of the Senedd.


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hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago

They are elected representatives not employees so there should be no entitlement to any kind of redundancy payments. We’ve already seen enough of this nonsense in Parliament where all sorts of leaving handouts are made to people who just failed to gain the support of their electorate.

Frank
Frank
1 year ago

…… plus a huge pension? When council services are falling apart due to “lack of funds” these leeches can find money to finance themselves. Unbelievable!!!

Jeff
Jeff
1 year ago

MP’s get it. Perhaps if they work on other jobs outside council work, if a councillor is your only job then assistance but if you own several other enterprises, nothing. Should be in the declaration of interests.

The Original Mark
The Original Mark
1 year ago

If they’re voted out, they are not being made redundant, they are being sacked!

Alun Gerrard
Alun Gerrard
11 months ago

Redundancy means that the job has disappeared. If an AM gets voted out it is because he or she have a smaller vote but . The losers should should get no redundancy payments as it is not redundancy. If the Senedd operate their own pension scheme then the AM should get it for the time they are paid as an AM. Some how l think that the Senedd pay for so called redundancy will be similar to the London MPs. For us blebs we get a maximum of 1.5 weeks salary per year worked to a maximum of 20 years… Read more »

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