The Communities and Local Government (CLG) Department has just finished consulting on their suggestion that local councillors should no longer be able to join the Local Government Pension Scheme.
At present local authorities can determine whether councillors can join the scheme or not. Many authorities have set this up, a few (including my own) haven’t.
CLG are proposing that local authorities will NOT be able to allow councillors to join the pension scheme, nor will elected Mayors. MPs – and, in a particular bout of inconsistency – Police and Crime Commissioners WILL be allowed pensions.
Government is rightly encouraging all of us to ensure that we make adequate provision for later life. Despite rumours to the contrary, councillors are just normal human beings, who will get old, and who will require an income in their later life. Just like any other normal people, we should be encouraging councillors to save up in a pension scheme.
Many councillors have other jobs, so being a councillor is only a part of their income, but many others are councillors as their main job. This is particularly true of people like Council Leaders or Elected Mayors who normally have to be full time, but it is also true of many back-benchers who have their councillor allowance as their main income.
Being a councillor for four, eight, twenty or whatever years is a significant commitment. Many people make career sacrifices as a result of their council commitment. Increasingly people like Executive members will work reduced hours at work to undertake their councillor responsibilities properly.
Councillor allowances were established as a system to ensure that people from all walks of life can take up elected office. Before they were introduced many council chambers were the almost exclusive preserve of people who were retired, of ‘independent means’ or (particularly with the Labour Party) had jobs in friendly organsations like trades unions or other councils.
All of us are right to wish to see restraint in the level of councillor allowances, but by giving councillors allowances we’ve also made it their livelihood, or part of their livelihood. Just like everyone else, in our livelihoods and our working lives should be allowed contribute to our livelihood in retirement. Councillors are, after all, just ordinary humans!
Cllr Tim Pickstone is ALDC’s Chief Executive and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Bury MBC.