Hartlepool Councillors in Line for 3% Allowance Increase – Special Responsibility Payments Could Return

Payments to councillors which was originally frozen could now be increased by 3%, with Special Responsibility Allowances potentially set to return...

13th August 2025

Hartlepool Borough Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) has recommended councillors receive a 3% increase on their annual basic allowance, taking it from £8,330 to £8,580 & backdated to May 2025....

Under current legislation, every local council council must have an IRP to recommend the basic allowance for all councillors and any Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) for those with extra duties, such as committee chairs or cabinet members.

Whilst local councils cannot pay above the rate of the IRP’s recommendation, they can choose to set the amount lower – and in Hartlepool’s case, they have done so before, with the last IRP report considered on the 22nd February 2024 councillors voted to:

Freeze the basic allowance at £8,330 for one year (2024/25), Suspend all SRA payments from 1st April 2024 & Reject planned future increases...

Its claimed the council considered a further review after the May 2024 elections if Labour took control, with the aim of reducing costs further, As a result, Hartlepool councillors have been on the same basic allowance since 2020/21, making it one of the lowest rates in the North East and second lowest in the region, where its said that for comparison, the Tees Valley average basic allowance is around £8,999.

Allowances need to attract a broader range of Candidates according to the IRP

The panel concluded that the allowance needed to be high enough to attract a broader range of candidates to stand for election. It warned that cutting allowances could deter capable individuals from becoming councillors, given the workload and responsibilities involved.

On that basis, its claimed the IRP report backed a 3% increase in the basic allowance, in line with the staff pay budget provision for 2025/26.

The Special Responsibility Allowances Question

SRAs – which pay extra to councillors holding senior roles – remain suspended, but the panel has now reportedly looked at whether to bring them back.

Options considered included:

• Reintroducing SRAs at the previous rate

• Increasing or decreasing them

• Implementing the Labour Group’s proposal to bring SRAs back at 50% of their former value, and adding a new payment for the Deputy Leader role

  
  

The IRP again cautioned that cutting or removing SRAs entirely could discourage councillors from taking on senior or specialist positions.

If the 3% basic allowance rise goes ahead and SRAs return, the total additional cost to the local tax payer could be £61,828, with Hartlepool Borough Council claiming this could be covered from other budgets, including underspent expenses accounts, meaning no extra strain on the councils overall budget.

The proposals will be discussed at the councils full meeting which is due to be held on the 20th August at Hartlepool Civic Centre.