POLL: Are councillors’ pay rises  justified if it means more stand for election? 

Councillors could be in line for hefty pay rises next week – with the leader’s remuneration recommended to top £50,000.

According to a report going before the council on Wednesday, the recommended increases are to “remove barriers” from people standing for election.

The proposed changes would see councillors’ basic remuneration increase by more than 20 per cent from £21,345 to £25,982.

Leader Emma Macdonald’s remuneration would jump 40 per cent from £35,580 to £50,063.

Convener Andrea Manson’s remuneration would also increase by 40 per cent from ££26,686 to £37,548.

And there would be further increases for 10 senior councillors, including the chairmen and chairwomen of committees, as well as the depute leader and depute convener.

They would see their remuneration increase by more than 40 per cent, with the totals ranging from £33,266 to £35,343, depending on which committee they lead.

It comes after members voted to increase council tax by 10 per cent to cover service provision.

The proposals are based on the recommendations from the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee’s (Slarc) report.

It seeks to “ensure diversity and sustainability of councillors throughout Scotland by removing barriers to holding elected office and enabling wider representation”.

The report found the makeup of Scotland’s councillors did not reflect the general population, with under-representation particularly from women, young people and people with disabilities.

The report also found that the role of senior councillors, particularly leaders, had become “more complex”.

While the report found that the role of councillor can usually be undertaken on a part-time basis, senior roles required a full-time commitment.

“Current remuneration levels are not considered to reflect the complexity of the role of  the councillor and this can be a significant barrier to potential candidates as well as serving councillors, particularly those who have no other source of income,” the SIC report states.

Councillors will be asked to vote on the proposals on Wednesday.

What do you think? Is it justified to award such large pay rises if it means more people are encouraged to stand for election?