Bumper Pay Rise For Scottish Councillors
Backbench councillors, ie those without additional council wide responsibilities, are currently paid a salary of £20,099 a year - which is assessed as a part-time (two-thirds of full-time) salary.
But after a hasty salary review and with scant evidence to justify such a move Humza Yousaf is planning to award all backbench councillors a new salary of £24,581 - despite the fact that many of these councillors also have other jobs.
I imagine this will not impress hard-pressed council tax payers or indeed other council employees who are being offered far less generous pay increases.
The new pay package will cost council tax payers an extra £5,407,028 a year and is being justified on the basis that a big pay rise is needed to attract more women, disabled and younger people into standing for election as councillors.
Which is a load of old baloney - of course.
Read what Team Yousaf is planning in the following ScotGov report on councillors' remuneration:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/recommendations-councillors-remuneration-expenses/
More to follow.