National changes to councillors salaries

Council Executive are being asked to note the statutory changes to Elected Members' salaries which have been agreed nationally, and approve a new revised scheme for West Lothian which includes the national changes.

These changes are set in regulations for every council in Scotland, and individual councils cannot accept or reject the changes.

They are based on the recommendations of the Scottish Local Authority Remuneration Committee (SLARC), which was commissioned in 2023 to look at how the roles of councillor has changed and grown in recent years.

This report, which is independent of the Scottish Parliament and local councils, has now been completed and has made a number of recommendations, which affect councillors in key areas such as training, meeting attendance and salary. 

The findings have been accepted by COSLA, the umbrella organisation for local authorities in Scotland, as well as Scottish Ministers, and will come into force from 1 April 2025.

While the role of a councillor was seen as part-time in the past, the role has grown to be more complex, include increased responsibility and take up more time in recent years.

The role of a councillor is varied and includes:

·         serving on committees;
·         executive decision-making for council policy, delivery of services and use of resources;
·         scrutiny of decisions and service delivery;
·         regulatory functions such as planning and licensing;
·         representing their ward and meeting with constituents and local groups and;
·         representing West Lothian in external bodies and joint boards.

The rise in social media has also increased the casework for most councillors, with the majority also facing on-line personal criticism.

It also aims to address some of the barriers that prevent under-represented groups, such as women, those with disabilities, people under 55 and those from less affluent backgrounds, standing to become councillors.

Evidence gathered by SLARC showed that the low level of pay was one of the biggest barriers to elected office for these groups.

Councillor salaries in Scotland

The Scottish Parliament set the basic payments for all councillors in Scotland, as well as the salaries of Council Leaders and Provosts for each area.

These are fully-funded by the Scottish Government, so does not impact on local services or Council Tax levels. Local authorities have no choice to accept or reject the salaries which are set nationally.

Councillors in the smaller local authorities like East Lothian and Midlothian will also see their pay increased by up to 40% to take them to the same level as councillors in mid-sized councils like West Lothian.

Impact on councillor salaries in West Lothian 

The change in Scottish Government regulations outlined above will lead to a rise in councillor salaries in West Lothian from 1 April 2025. 

The basic salary for a West Lothian councillor will rise to £25,982, a £4,637 increase from last year.

The salary for the Leader of West Lothian Council will rise to £50,063, a £7,365 increase, with the salary set for the Provost rising to £37,458, an increase of £5,524.

All these salaries are set nationally by the Scottish Government and out with the remit of the council. Full funding for the increase is provided by the Scottish Government, so there is no impact of services or Council Tax.

Individual councils can only agree how many senior councillors they require, as well as the additional payments these councillors receive. 

The role of senior councillor involves a number of extra responsibilities which require an increased commitment, such as chairing committees, so their salary is allowed to be a maximum of 75% of the Leader of the Council's salary which is £37,458 in West Lothian. 

West Lothian Council have agreed to have 12 senior councillors and set their salary at £37,058 to reflect the additional duties that the senior role requires. This represents a rise of £5,928, which is £400 under the maximum level set nationally.

Comparing elected representative salaries 

Councillors continue to receive the lowest salaries of any elected representative in Scotland.

The salaries of councillors were benchmarked against MSPs as part of the SLARC review to compare the responsibilities and set appropriate salary levels.

Members of both the Scottish Parliament and UK Parliament vote to set their own salaries, and these votes have still to take place to agree the increase from 1 April 2025.

The table below includes the 3.2% rise for MSPs and 2.8% rise for MPs that are expected to be approved shortly, as per the recommendations by their respective independent bodies.

Expected elected representative salaries from 1 April 2025