Edinburgh Council’s leader and other councillors are set to get a pay increase as a result of new Scottish Government policy.
Council leader Jane Meagher will see her pay go from £64,063 to £71,519, the same as a Member of Scottish Parliament, in line with requirements set out by a Scottish Parliament committee.
Meanwhile, non-senior councillors will see their pay go from £21,345 to £25,982, putting their pay packets in line with 80% of the median salary of all public sector employees in the country.
The Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Commission sets rules for councils determining how much they have to pay council leaders and non-senior councillors.
However, for senior councillors, Edinburgh Council sets rates of pay, with the council historically paying them a percentage of what the council leader makes.
In Edinburgh’s budget, agreed last month, councillors decided to freeze any pay increase that could have been allotted to senior councillors.
This means they will receive the same remuneration as last year, with Lord Provost, Liberal Democrat Robert Aldridge and Depute Leader of the Council, Labour’s Mandy Watt receiving £48,032 per year.
Committee conveners and most group leaders will again make £40,027 per year, while two committee vice-conveners will make £32,022.
And Green group co-leaders Chas Booth and Susan Rae will make £30,686 per year.
Finally, Liberal Democrat councillor Alan Beal will be paid £28,608 for chairing the Lothian Valuation Joint Board.
The pay for the leaders of each council is set by legislation in Holyrood, with Glasgow and Edinburgh councils getting the highest level of pay.
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
