Maldon Council could halve some of its senior members' allowances in a bid to address financial pressures.

Members of Maldon District Council who receive the special responsibility allowance, which is up to £13,563 on top of the £5,425 basic allowance which goes to all councillors, could see this reduced by 50 per cent.

The councillors include the leader and chair of the council as well as the leader of the opposition, according to a motion due to be debated next week (Thursday, 15 December). 

This comes as councils across Essex and the rest of the country are reporting budget gaps of millions of pounds in the wake of government cuts, the coronavirus pandemic and the cost of living crisis. 

In the motion, Cllr Adrian Fluker said: "Given that the council's finances are under such enormous pressure, reassurance is sought that the members' special responsibility allowance represents good value to taxpayers."

The special responsibility allowance is paid to 13 councillors in Maldon and costs local council taxpayers £54,117 a year, according to the motion.

£13,563 is paid to the leader of the council, while £5,425 is paid to the chair, deputy leader, leader of the opposition and chairs of the main committees.

£543 is paid to the vice chair of the council, £1,356 to the vice chair of the main committees, £2,304 to the chair of the area planning committees and £4,069 to the chair of the overview and scrutiny committee, the motion claims.

Basic allowance is paid to all members of the council and costs £168,182 annually, according to the motion.

The motion continues to argue that while the special responsibility allowances enable senior councillors to perform additional duties, they are unlikely to attend council meetings more than others.

It also notes that some meetings between senior councillors and officers are held online, partly to reduce travel time and costs.

According to the motion, councillors only have to attend at least one meeting every six months. The full council will vote and debate the proposals on December 15.