This is how much Wirral councillors get paid

Wirral Council is currently in a critical financial position with likely bankruptcy prompting a plea to the government for up to £40m to bail them out. With the news libraries under threat, Birkenhead Town Hall set to shut, up to 200 jobs on the line, a £34m budget black hole, and a £20m budget overspend this year, some have suggested on social media councillors might get paid too much.

However people can sometimes confuse the pay that goes towards Members of Parliament and councillors when in reality MPs often get paid far more. The annual salary of MPs is £91,346 while they can also claim expenses for running an office, having a home in London or their constituency, travel costs, and employing staff.

Wirral’s 66 councillors get to claim a basic allowance of £10,059 a year though those with senior positions could given extra money for additional responsibilities up to £25,938 for leader of the council, a position currently held by Councillor Paul Stuart. The deputy leader of the council Jean Robinson could be in receipt of an extra £12,969.

Conservative opposition leader Cllr Jeff Green is entitled to receive an extra £15,563 while Green co-leaders Cllrs Jo Bird and Pat Cleary could each claim up to £7,781. Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Phil Gilchrist, could claim up to £5,187 for his role.

Cllr Angela Davies, the deputy leader within Labour, could claim up to £12,969 while the Conservatives deputy leader Cllr Lesley Rennie could be in receipt of an extra £7,781. Deputy leaders for the Greens and Liberal Democrats could claim £3,890 and £2,593 respectively.

The council’s Mayor Cllr Cherry Povall could claim up to £12,969 this year while the deputy mayor Cllr Brian Kenny could receive £2,593. Cllrs Ian Lewis, Liz Grey, Julie McManus, Stephen Bennett, and Tony Jones could claim an additional £10,375 while other committee chairs can receive between £5,187 and £3,890.

In the financial year between April 2023 and March 2024, councillors were paid a total of £840,870. Every councillor was paid at least £9,223 that year bar Cllr Kieran Murphy who claimed a grand total of £5 in expenses.

£1,137 was claimed in total for car mileage with costs ranging from £68.40 to £426.15 between six councillors. Only £29.9 was claimed in expenses between four councillors

Compared to councillors, Wirral Council officers often get paid far more. Wirral Council’s accounts for 2023/24 show Chief Executive Paul Satoor received £218,438 including his salary, travel costs, and pension contributions.

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Director pay in Wirral can range from £97,780 to £132,564 while assistant director roles can be paid between £79,000 to just under £101,880. The council’s accounts show one director was paid £69,406 in compensation after leaving their role in December 2023.

Over in Sefton, councillors’ basic allowance in 2023/24 was just over £11,000 with the leader of the council paid an extra £27,206. In Halton, councillors got a basic allowance of £10,224 while the leader got an extra £26,363.

In Knowsley, most councillors claimed a basic allowance over £10,500 that year with the council leader paid an extra £32,639. In St Helens, the councillor’s basic allowance is £9,108.

In Liverpool, councillors can claim a basic allowance of £10,590 while its leader paid an extra £38,136 on top. Councillor allowances in the city are set to increase from April after councillors voted for a 27% rise there.