Councillors in West Devon have agreed to increase their basic allowance in line with staff pay rises.

It means that for 2025/26 all councillors will receive £5,674 instead of £5,498 – a difference of £176 or 3.2 per cent.

The move follows a recommendation by an independent panel who conducted their first review into members’ allowances in January since 2023.

The basic allowance for West Devon councillors has increased by £781 since 2023/24 after an “above average” six per cent rise between 2023 and 2025.

Panel representatives recognised that the overwhelming majority of local authorities now automatically aligned their basic allowance increases to the staff pay award and this was supported by the handful of West Devon members who made representations on the current allowances.

However the panel was “not inundated with responses” from members calling for a special responsibility allowance to be introduced for the development management (planning) and licensing committee members who had “a considerable” workload or for  vice chairs of the audit and governance and overview and scrutiny committee..

Council leader Mandy Ewings (Ind, Tavistock South West) felt there could be merit in some form of ‘attendance allowance’ being introduced for site inspections.

She told a full council meeting this week  she was really disappointed that only three or four councillors responded to the consultation.

“I can only surmise from that that 28 members are really happy with their allowances,” she said.

Cllr Lynn Daniel (Green, South Tawton) denied that councillors were “apathetic”.

“It’s not so much a lack of interest rather than knowing the council is finite and councillors think we will stay as we are until something new comes along.”

The council along with Devon’s other district and county council will be abolished in 2028 to make way for larger unitary councils covering all services.

Cllr Neil Jory (Con, Milton Ford) said it made “absolute sense” to increase the basic allowance with the annual pay award.

“Our allowances at the moment probably do not reflect the amount of work members actually do. We want to be in position where we attract people into the role of councillors, particularly younger people.”

He said allowances just really returned councillors’ expenses.

The changes agreed by the council will see the leader’s total annual allowance increase from £19,243 to £19,859 and the deputy’s from 13,745 to 14,185.

Members of the decision-making hub committee will receive £11,348 each, the chair of the development management and licensing committee £12,483, the vice chair £7,376 and chairs of the audit and governance and overview and scrutiny committee £11,348 each.

Allowances for the mayor and deputy mayor of West Devon have increased from £3,000 to £3,121 and £825 to £851 a year respectively after they had been fixed for a number of years.