Sefton Labour councillors vote for 5% pay rise for themselves

Sefton Labour councillors vote for 5% pay rise for themselves

Labour councillors have paved the way for a 5% pay rise for councillors next April by failing to support a move to limit any increase to the rate of inflation.

At the Sefton Council meeting held at Bootle Town Hall on Thursday evening 21st September, a Lib Dem move to exclude councillors from Labour’s proposed 5% across-the-board pay increase next April, was defeated.

The problem highlighted by Lib Dem councillors Daniel Lewis and Simon Shaw, was that Members Allowances in Sefton Council are automatically linked to the average pay increase given to Sefton Council employees. So, with Labour proposing a 5% pay increase for all staff, this would also mean a 5% pay increase for councillors.

“We felt that was simply not right,” says Lib Dem Group Deputy Leader Cllr Daniel Lewis, who proposed the Lib Dem amendment which called for any increase for councillors to be limited to no more than inflation.

Cllr Simon Shaw, who seconded the amendment, added: “I was appalled to see a number of senior Labour councillors arguing that they ‘deserved’ a 5% rise,”

“It’s not as if we were even arguing for councillors’ pay to be frozen, merely that it shouldn’t rise by more than inflation.”

Although the Conservatives supported the Lib Dem call for restraint, the controlling Labour Group defeated the move.