Conservative group leader Councillor Oliver Cooper

COUNCILLORS could be in line for an inflation-busting increase to their allowances.

The opposition Conservative group at the Town Hall has already hit out at proposals for a possible 2.75 per cent increase in what members get paid, while the Liberal Democrats said this was not the year to be raising the payments.

Labour’s organisers, however, say they are trying to link annual rises with those received by council officers and make sure that people are not priced out of standing for council elections by low remuneration.

A “democratic review group” had been set up to look into how allowances should be monitored, but it has not met in the past year due to Covid restrictions.

Labour group whip Councillor Lazzaro Pietragnoli told an audit committee meeting last Wednesday: “If last year, our officers had an increase of two-point-whatever per cent, we should try to reflect this in the policy. Being aware, that if there is going to be a change which is negative for our officers this year, we will reflect that in our salaries and our allowances too.”

He said that there should be a “policy mechanism” that made the link without councillors having to vote on their own level of allowances.

Camden has also said the proposed system follows the scale of cost-of-living inflation but Tory group leader Councillor Oliver Cooper said this had not happened.

“For most people, this is the worst economic environment in generations ­– but it seems Labour councillors shamefully want to ensure it’s payday for themselves,” he said.

“Inflation is currently 0.9 per cent, so a raise three times that is not a ‘cost of living’ increase – it’s just filling their own boots.”

He added: “It shows staggering vanity. At a time when residents are really struggling, councillors must shoulder some of the burden and take a pay freeze, not a huge increase. Treating it as a job that needs a full-time salary fails to appreciate how much of a reward representing our community is.”

Lib Dem group leader Councillor Luisa Porritt said: “Keeping allowances frozen for a long period makes it harder for under­represented groups including young people to become councillors. Nevertheless, as a council, we must recognise that this has been an exceptionally difficult year with many residents facing substantial hardship in light of the pandemic, so the Liberal Democrat group has decided to call for a one-year freeze to allowances.”

Committee chairman Labour councillor Abdul Quadir said there had been “several years of frozen allowances” for members and now Camden was acting “in keeping with the Independent Panel on Remuneration for Councillors in London” and policy set last year.

The pay levels are in reports due to be discussed at a full council meeting next week.