Ratepayers in Mid and East Antrim were this month landed with a hike of 3.99% after councillors struck the rate for both residents and businesses for 2025/26. In another time it may have been considered less critically but after recent years the spotlight is on local authority finances and councillor expenses more than ever.
Over the last two years ratepayers in the borough of Mid and East Antrim have faced a hike of almost 14% (domestic), while local businesses have been dealt a blow of almost 16% (non-domestic).
Relatively, it could be said that rates in Mid and East Antrim have risen faster than in Belfast city, which has seen a rise of 22% over the last four years.
This week members will gather for a full Council meeting on Monday evening, 17 February, and will be asked to approve a Department of Communities (DfC) guidance that will see an increase in a councillor’s annual basic allowance, as well as an increase to Dependants Carers’ Allowance.
If the scheme is approved, back pay will be calculated from 1 April 2024 and paid to Councillors. This has already been accounted for in this year’s Council budget and the subsequent recent Rates rise for the borough’s residents and businesses.
So, what are councillors paid?
Tucked away in Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s website, is information on councillor allowances including a record of allowances paid to individual councillors in recent years.
Individual councillors are eligible to be paid the following allowances (we will include the proposed new increased rates alongside):
• An annual basic allowance of £17,030. It is proposed this will rise by 1.025%, equating to an annual increase of £426, to £17,456.
Basic allowance is intended to recognise the full time commitment of councillors, including such inevitable calls on their time as meetings with officers and constituents, and should cover incidental costs incurred by councillors in their official capacity, such as the use of their homes, office consumables and cost of mobile phone calls.
• A special responsibility allowance is paid to those councillors who hold the special responsibilities, such as chair of a council committee who is paid an extra £500 per month, with the vice-chair being paid an extra £300 per month.
A councillor who is a Partnership Panel Representative is paid £357 per meeting, and a Group Party Leader is paid an extra £40 per month.
• A councillor who is appointed to the office of Mayor or Deputy Mayor receives a further allowance of £1,000 per month and £650 per month respectively.
• Councillors are also entitled to claim a dependants’ carers’ allowance towards reimbursement of “actual reasonable costs necessarily incurred in providing care for an eligible dependant, while carrying out an approved duty.”
The effective hourly rate valid from the 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 for dependants’ carers’ allowance for standard care shall be £11.44, and for specialised care £22.88. The monthly maximum for standard care payable is £595, and the monthly maximum for specialised care is £1,190.
The standard care hourly rate is proposed to rise to £12.21.
• Councillors are entitled to claim travel expenses for a private vehicle as follows (per mile):
- A peddle cycle - 20p;
- A motor cycle - 24p;
- A motor car (450cc - 999cc) - 52.2p - proposed to reduce for 2025-26 to 46.9p;
- A motor car (1,000cc - 1,199cc) - 65p - proposed to reduce for 2025-26 to 52.2p;
- A motor car (exceeding 1,199) - 65p;
- An electric car - 45p;
- Passenger rate - 5p.
Councillors can also claim overnight allowances and for meal expenses.
Renounciations of allowances
DfC guidance states “councillors may, if they wish, renounce all or part of their entitlement to basic, chairperson, vice chairperson or special responsibility allowances”.
Further increase in allowances
In December 2023, DfC announced the appointment of Mr Maynard Mawhinney as the Independent Chair of a working group to review the roles and responsibilities of councillors in Northern Ireland.
The Chair and working group conducted this review and has since made recommendations to the Department on the system and level of the range of allowances available to councillors in Northern Ireland.
These are currently being considered by DfC under Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA. It is understood that an increase has been proposed to the councillor’s annual basic allowance to take it from £17,456 to a figure between £22-25,000.
Love Ballymena spoke recently to DfC regarding this review. A Department for Communities spokesperson said:
“The Minister has received a report from the Review of Roles and Responsibilities of Councillors Working Group and has asked officials to consider the report and provide him with advice on the cost and legislative implications of each of the recommendations made.
“Once each of the recommendations has been considered, the department will consider publishing the report, together with the response to the recommendations.”
Record of Councillors’ and Committee Members’ Allowances
The most recent record of allowances (visit here) on Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s website is for 2023/24.
The top five claims for travel and subsistence claims during this period were:
£3516
£3196
£1,792
£1,638
£1,421
During this period 26 councillors claimed zero expenses for travel and subsistence.
Councillor calls for change
Meanwhile, one of the borough’s councillors spoke this week to Love Ballymena and is calling for greater transparency from the local authority for ratepayers, while challenging fellow councillors to reconsider their expense claims.
The councillor told Love Ballymena:
“It’s alarming and absurd that this expenses report is deep buried in the Council website. The majority of residents probably don’t know that it’s even there.
“This is not good for openness, governance and accountability.
The councillor added:
“Additionally, councillors should reconsider what they claim for. Some should show selflessness and leadership by not claiming as much - especially ones who reside short distances away from a meeting venue.
“By easing this burden on the ratepayer, especially after a rates increase, it will help restore trust in councillors.”
Council Meeting
Council members will discuss and decide upon the DfC guidance on the ‘Revision of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Scheme of Allowances Payable to Councillors’ (6.3 on the meeting agenda), at Monday evening’s meeting, starting at 6:30pm.
The meeting can be viewed online here.