Independent commission recommends inflation-busting pay rise for councillors
Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter
The leaders of two north Wales councils are in-line to receive an annual pay rise of just over £4,200 in April after a report recommended an increase to tackle inflation.
Flintshire County Council’s Constitution and Democratic Services Committee will on Wednesday consider a report from the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru (DBCC) – the independent body that sets councillors’ pay – that recommends an above-inflation pay increase of 6.4% for all elected members.
The UK inflation rate according to the Consumer Price index for the 12 months to August 2025 was 4%.
That report recommends that pay for the leaders of Group Two councils – those with populations between 100,000 and 200,000 – increase from £66,727 to £71,025. Deputy leaders’ pay is recommended to increase from £46,709 to £49,717.
Both Flintshire County Council and Wrexham County Borough Council are Group Two authorities.
The report also recommends that all elected members see their pay rise from £19,771 to £21,044. Cabinet or Executive Board members pay should increase from £40,036 to £42,615 and council chairs rise from £29,657 to £31,567.
If this draft proposal was implemented, members pay increases would cost Flintshire County Council an additional £107,121. Wrexham County Borough Council has not yet published figures on the budget impact of the plans.
Councillors can make comments on the recommendations to the DBCC about the proposals at this stage but the decision on the level of the pay increase and whether it is implemented is made independently by the DBCC. The final decision on pay levels will be published in February 2026
Members are individually allowed to refuse to accept the pay increase.
The DBCC guidance states that: “Whilst the commission recognises that councillors should be remunerated, it does note that any member or co-opted member may give notice in writing to the proper officer of the authority that they elect to forgo any part of their entitlement to a payment under the determination of the Panel for that particular year.
“This must be their own personal choice and cannot be influenced by other individuals or political groups.”
The report also seeks members’ views on a new ‘resettlement payment’ proposed for the 2027 local council elections. If introduced, it would see councillors who seek re-election and fail to win their seat given a parachute payment to ease the transition away from elected office.
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How is it that councillors, MPs peers etc always get above inflation rises while people on benefits and low pay don’t!
Isn’t it amazing? The function, that used to be carried out for expenses only by councillors in the former larger 8 counties of North Wales, Clwyd and Gwynedd, now carries a £21000+ wage – even if their only function is representing their constituency and with no executive function at all.
21,000 isn’t as much as you think. The annual minimum wage for someone doing 37.5 hours a week is 23,809.
Now I don’t know about you… but I do think they need to be paid more than the minimum wage, not much more I’ll grant, but more. 30,000 would seem appropriate, pro-rata of course.
The reason the Newport Chartists wanted our representatives to be paid a decent amount was to stop the job being done by those supported by inherited wealth who inevitably prioritised those supported by inherited wealth.