Councillors want rethink on pay rise

Waitakere City councillors want the Remuneration Authority to rethink a decision that would see them receive a pay rise in the next financial year (starting July 1).

A resolution by the council’s Finance and Operational Performance Committee asked that the government-appointed authority reconsider increasing the remuneration pool out of which elected members’ salaries and some expenses are paid.

“In light of the current financial climate, the pressures being placed on our communities and the council’s own fiscal position we are urging the authority to reconsider its decision,” says committee chairman Ross Clow.

He says elected members are reluctant to accept a pay rise considering the hard times many of their constituents are experiencing.

But they may not have a choice.
The Remuneration Authority advises how much councils must pay the mayor and a pool from which the council must recommend back to them the allocation of payments for other elected members, including councillors and community board members. The authority makes the final decision on all payments.

The council has to give the Remuneration Authority valid reasons why for the size of the pool to be reconsidered or not applied.