Oxfordshire councillor allowances

All councillors are entitled to receive an allowance for the duties they undertake as a councillor.

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How we set allowances

Oxfordshire County Council is permitted, by law, to set the level of allowances that are paid to its members.

Unlike council officers, councillors do not receive a salary. The allowances are intended to cover the expenses they incur in being a local councillor. Allowances are set following recommendations by an independent panel.

Examples of the allowances are:

  • a basic allowance - paid to every county councillor
  • a special responsibility allowance - paid to members of the cabinet, committee chairmen, leader of the council and leader of the opposition etc.
  • travel and subsistence allowances
  • dependant carers allowance.

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Independent Remuneration Panel

The Independent Remuneration Panel for Oxfordshire was set up in 2001 in accordance with legal requirements. Under the Local Authorities (Member Allowances) Regulations 2003, the council are required to establish and maintain a panel of independent, impartial, non-council representatives, who consider the roles undertaken by councillors and make recommendations as to the amount they should receive in both basic and Special Responsibility Allowances.

The panel receives information from councillors to enable them to reach informed decisions, seek comparative information from other councils, interview councillors, and generally undertake whatever research they consider necessary to enable them to make well-founded recommendations.

The council cannot review or amend the Council’s Members' Allowances Scheme, without first consulting the panel and a report of the panel’s recommendations being made to a meeting of Full Council. All elected members of the council are eligible to receive a basic allowance. Some members and a few non-elected people, such as co-opted members who advise various committees, are also eligible to receive additional Special Responsibility Allowances linked to specific formal roles.

The panel's recommendations and the council's decisions must both be publicised. The last full review of Members Allowances was carried out in November 2020. Upon considering the panel’s resulting report, the council agreed to a status quo Scheme of Allowances for 2021/22, with the instruction that following the elections due to be held in May 2021, the newly elected council be asked to revisit the report during the council year of 2021/2022.

Reports of the Independent Remuneration Panel

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Current allowances

The current levels of allowances for councillors can be found in Part 10 of the council's constitution.

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