The Labour-led London Borough of Hounslow has tabled proposals to raise councillor allowances that would see the council leader’s pay increase sharply and most councillors move to higher rates.
What the proposals say
Under the draft scheme, the cabinet leader, Councillor Shantanu Rajawat, would see his Special Responsibility Allowance climb from £44,312 a year to £60,000. At the same time the basic allowance for all councillors would rise to £15,000 from the current £13,048.
- Leader’s allowance: £44,312 → £60,000
- Basic councillor allowance: £13,048 → £15,000
- Notable SRA winners include the Vice Chair of Planning and the leader of the second minority party
Winners and losers
Some roles would see substantial increases while a few would fall. The Vice Chair of the Planning Committee (Labour Councillor Craig Owen, Brent West) is proposed to move from £5,539 to £10,500, an increase of roughly 89.56%. The leader of the second minority party (Reform UK’s Councillor Tony Brown, Feltham West) would rise from £1,328 to £7,742, an uplift of about 482.98%.
| Role | Current (£) | Proposed (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Council Leader | 44,312 | 60,000 |
| Basic councillor | 13,048 | 15,000 |
| Vice Chair, Planning | 5,539 | 10,500 |
| Leader, 2nd party (Reform UK) | 1,328 | 7,742 |
Political reaction
The Hounslow Conservative Group has confirmed it will oppose the package. Their leader, Councillor Jack Emsley, criticised the breadth of additional payments, saying the scheme would award Special Responsibility Allowances to a far larger share of councillors than an independent panel recommended.
“The fact that this will be one of the first votes since the election shows us what Labour’s priorities really are,”
He pointed out that while the increases are lower than some independent recommendations, Labour’s plan would see around 81% of councillors receiving extra payments — with all but four Labour councillors in line for SRAs under the proposals. Mr Emsley added there should be a debate about fair remuneration, but argued this goes beyond that point.
Next steps and local implications
The proposals will be put to a council vote. If agreed, they would mean higher annual costs for councillor pay and redistribution of responsibility payments across the political makeup of the council. Residents concerned about the impact on council finances and priorities can expect debate at meetings where members will decide whether to adopt the approach recommended by the administration.
For now, the split between the administration’s proposals and the opposition’s planned vote against them signals a contested decision at the next council sitting.
