Cheshire East has voted to follow the recommendations of an independent panel to increase councillor allowances and backdate the rise to April 2024.

The vote was close with 39 voting in favour of the rise, 33 against and two abstaining.

Allowances will now increase by 2.5 per cent for 2024/25 and 3.2 per cent for 2025/26.

The basic allowance is currently £12,851.

The council leader has a special responsibility allowance (SRA) of £29,517 on the top of that and the deputy an SRA of £17,820.

Committee chairs and others with special responsibilities have an additional allowance of up to £12,485.

Council leader Nick Mannion (Lab) told this week's meeting of full council: "Most of us put in many hours each and every week helping people who often have complex, sensitive issues.

"Helping people is what we do, and it's why we are."

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Deputy leader Michael Gorman (Wilmslow, Ind) said some councillors work up to 80 hours a week.

He added: "If we expect people to give this level of service, we must ensure they can afford to do so.

"If allowances fall short, we exclude those without independent means, working parents, younger people, carers and those on modest incomes."

How councillors voted on the review of allowances (Credit: LDRS)

Cllr Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind) said since he was first elected in 2015 the basic allowance had increased by 25 per cent – but inflation had risen by 40.3 per cent over that time.

"Some roles on this council remove the ability to do a part-time job, because if done properly, they are full-time roles in themselves," he said.

Cllr Joy Bratherton (Crewe, Lab) said: "The average age of councillors here is somewhere between 55 and 75, yet we all agree that we desperately need younger voices, younger energy, younger perspectives.

"But what exactly are we asking them to sign up for?

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"Do we tell them that your social life will disappear?

"Do we tell them that your employer may resent the time you need away from work, you'll be criticised daily by people who neither know you nor actually care who the hell you are, it's just fun to sit behind the keyboard and slag you off."

She said, after tax, the allowance was under £1,000 a month.

"So why would anybody expect capable young people to undertake one of the most demanding forms of public service without an allowance which enables them to do so?"

Others argued now was not the right time.

Cllr Stewart Gardiner (Knutsford, Con) said: "Given the current financial situation, I do not believe that I can hand-on-heart vote for this proposition and look at the people outside who effectively are having to pay increased bills."

Sandbach councillor Nicola Cook (Ind) said she had supported residents accessing funds to pay for gas and electric and a nurse to apply for funding to buy food.

"How can I look these residents in the eye and at the same time support this recommendation?" she asked

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Cllr John Knight (Macclesfield, Green) said he had listened to arguments that the low allowances may make it harder for younger people in full time work to take on the role.

But he added, at a time when the council cannot afford to carry out some of its basic functions, 'it really is tone deaf for us to sit here and talk about raising our pay'.

Cllr Jos Saunders (Poynton, Con) said residents were against any increase in allowances.

She said: "They state to me that this council is only operational because of the millions lent to it by government.

"They state that until we're in a fiscal position where we don't need propping up by loans, we should not be taking backdated money."

Council leader Nick Mannion said the current situation put councillors in a difficult position and he would write to government suggesting the setting of member allowances be looked at nationally rather than locally in future.