A few extra pounds will be paid to Norwich city councillors to carry out public service, after they backed an independent panel's review of their allowances.

Norwich Evening News: Alan Waters, leader of Norwich City Council. Pic: Jeff Taylor.Alan Waters, leader of Norwich City Council. Pic: Jeff Taylor. (Image: Archant)

The five-strong independent panel recommended a number of increases in annual allowances for those serving the public at Norwich City Council.

The money is intended to recognise the time put in by councillors, who do not receive a salary, in helping their constituents and for attending meetings.

The recommendations, which were agreed by city councillors at a recent meeting, will see the annual basic allowance, which all councillors are entitled to, increase by £62 from £6,193 to £6,255.

The leader of the council would see their special responsibility allowance go up from £10.322 to £10,425.

Cabinet members and the leader of the major minority party would see their special responsibility allowance go up from £5,161 to £5,213.

There will also be increase for chairs of audit, licensing, planning and scrutiny committees, from £2,581 to £2,607.

Other members of audit,licensing, planning and scrutiny committees will also see a slight increase, from £1,548 to £1,563.

Now that it has been agreed by the full council, the increases will come in from April.

They would then, potentially, go up at the start of April each year, up until March 2021, index-linked to increases awarded to council staff by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services.

If pay for council staff does not go up, then councillor allowances will not increase, either.

Alan Waters, leader of Norwich City Council, said: 'We want as wide a group of people to consider becoming councillors as possible and, to enable them to do that, there needs to be some measure of support.'

It means City Hall, which is planning for a increase in its share of the council tax increase of just over 2pc, is budgeting to be spending £360,000 on councillors in the next financial year.

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