New call to review councillor allowances and senior officer pay at Hartlepool Borough Council

Hartlepool Borough Council chiefs say they are estimating a £9.750million deficit across 2023-24 and 2024-25 due to inflationary pressures.

At the latest meeting of the council finance and policy committee, Labour’s deputy group leader Councillor Jonathan Brash said they should be looking at the possibility of reducing councillor allowances and senior officer pay.

This would also include looking at reductions in councillor special responsibility allowances.

Cllr Brash said: “I know that’s extremely difficult to talk about, but we’re looking at what we are proposing to take away from the people of Hartlepool.

“Yet there is no proposal on the table, no recommendation to look at the possibility of reducing both allowances and pay to councillors and senior officer pay.”

Denise McGuckin, council managing director, speaking at Monday’s meeting, said they would review and look at the suggestion.

However, she said they already have “less chief officers than any other authority in the Tees Valley”.

Meanwhile, Conservative councillor Angela Falconer said: “It just concerns me that if we reduce the salaries of senior officers, they can go to other authorities and we’ll end up with second class officers to do the job.”

A report noted council chiefs have so far outlined £3.607million of savings which could be adopted for 2023-4, the details of which were published on private papers for elected members.

Councillors agreed to delay referring the proposed savings to individual policy committees for discussion to allow officers to have the chance to fully assess the impact of last week’s Autumn Statement.

Councillor Shane Moore, the council’s leader, stressed they need to “really carefully weigh everything up”.

Finance chief Chris Little added a future report will also look at the impact of the Government announcing the council tax referendum limit had increased to 5%, up from the 3% maximum rise previously allowed, and what difference this could make to Hartlepool.

Councillors earlier this year approved a 2.9% rise for 2023/24, made up of a 1.9% core council tax increase and 1% towards the adult social care precept.