Opposition Parties Cry Foul Over Councillor Allowance Rises

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'Extremely excessive' increase will see payments up by an average of 19%

Hounslow Council Cabinet members would see their allowances increase by over 30% Picture: YouTube

July 17, 2026

Councillors across the political spectrum in Hounslow are bracing for a confrontation at Borough Council later this month, when members will be asked to approve a revised Members' Allowances Scheme that would lift councillor pay by an average of 19% — with some roles seeing rises of well over 100%.

The proposal, brought forward by Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat and to be presented by Cllr Max Mosley at the meeting on Tuesday 21 July, would raise the Basic Allowance paid to every councillor from £13,466 to £15,000, an increase of 11.4%. This will rise will be increased further by the 2026/27 uplift which is tied to staff salaries.

It is the changes to Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) — extra pay for councillors holding leadership, cabinet, committee and whip roles — that have triggered the strongest reaction.

Under the new structure, the Leader's allowance would rise from £45,730 to £60,000 (+31.2%), with Cabinet Members and the Deputy Leader receiving proportional increases. Some of the largest jumps are to opposition and minority-party roles: the leader of the second minority party would see their allowance rise by roughly 465%, taking total pay (including the basic allowance) to around £22,742, while the Vice Chair of the Planning Committee would receive an 83.7% increase. Not every role rises, however — the Deputy Whip for the Majority Group, the Chief Whip for the Opposition, and several committee and area forum roles would actually see cuts of between 5% and nearly 48%.

The council's report frames the changes as a matter of principle rather than favouritism. It argues that the existing SRA structure "has developed over time and reflects historic allowance levels and previous assumptions about the relative demands of different positions," making it unclear why similar roles are paid so differently. The stated aim of the revision is to tie every SRA to the additional time commitment a role demands, using the £15,000 Basic Allowance as a common foundation — rather than to reward or penalise particular positions.

Despite the council's rationale, the proposed rises have united most of the opposition parties on the council. The Conservatives, Greens, Liberal Democrats and the council's Independent member are reportedly planning to vote against the scheme, leaving Reform's position as the one still in question. Because Labour's majority on the council is described as slim, only a handful of defecting Labour councillors would be needed to defeat the proposal.

Position	2025/26 Allowance	2026/27 Allowance	% Increase
Basic Allowance	£13,466	£15,000	+11.4%
Mayor	£14,862	£15,000	+0.9%
Deputy Mayor	£7,431	£7,500	+0.9%
Leader	£45,730	£60,000	+31.2%
Deputy Leader	£28,580	£37,500	+31.2%
Cabinet Members (each)	£22,864	£30,000	+31.2%
Cabinet Portfolio Assistants (each)	£10,193	£15,000	+47.2%
Leader of the Opposition	£12,575	£16,452	+30.8%
Deputy Leader of the Opposition	£6,288	£7,500	+19.3%
Leaders of other Minority Parties	£1,370	£7,742 (Second Minority Party)	+465%
—	—	£2,903 (Third Minority Party)	—
Chief Whip – Majority Group	£11,432	£15,000	+31.2%
Deputy Whip – Majority Group	£2,859	£1,500	–47.5%
Chief Whip – Opposition	£3,143	£3,000	–4.5%
Chair – Planning Committee	£11,432	£15,000	+31.2%
Vice Chair – Planning Committee	£5,716	£10,500	+83.7%
Chair – Pension Fund Panel	£7,316	£7,500	+2.5%
Chair – Pension Fund Board	£2,287	(Not listed in 2026/27 table)	—
Chair – Audit and Governance	£8,048	£7,500	–6.8%
Chair – Licensing & General Purposes	£8,803	£7,500	–14.8%
Chair – Overview & Scrutiny	£13,718	£18,000	+31.2%
Vice Chair – Overview & Scrutiny	£1,716	£1,500	–12.6%
Chairs – Area Forum (each)	£8,780	£7,500	–14.6%
Vice Chairs – Area Forum (each)	£2,859	£1,500	–47.5%
Chairs – Scrutiny Panel (each)	£7,316	£7,500	+2.5%

Green councillor Guy Lambert, who says he donates any allowance income above the basic rate to charity, called the increases "extremely excessive." He pointed out that the rises far outstrip inflation — roughly 19% against a two-year CPI increase of about 6% — and singled out the boosts for the Council Leader, Cabinet, the Majority Chief Whip, the Planning Committee Chair and the Overview and Scrutiny Chair, all of which rise by around 35%, as particularly hard to justify. He also questioned why a clearly political post like Chief Whip should attract a special allowance at all. Cllr Lambert noted that his own party's allowance would rise by about 119%, and reiterated his pledge to pass on anything beyond the basic rate to local charities.

Conservative group leader Jack Emsley echoed Cllr Lambert's concerns, adding a further statistical objection: London Councils' own remuneration guidance recommends that no more than half of councillors receive an SRA, yet 81% are set to under the new scheme. "There's a serious debate to be had about fair remuneration, but this goes well beyond that," Emsley said, confirming the Conservatives will vote against the proposal — even though Cllr Emsley himself stands to benefit, with the Leader of the Opposition allowance rising from £12,185 to £16,452, bringing his total package (with the £15,000 basic allowance) to £31,451.

The row briefly drew in Brentford & Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury, after she liked a social media post by Cllr Lambert criticising the rises. When questioned by local journalist John Dale of Brentford TV, Ms Cadbury said the like had been accidental and that she had not raised the matter directly with the council leader.

The administration's report to Borough Council notes that the Council is legally required to have regard to recommendations from an Independent Remuneration Panel before amending its allowances scheme — in this case, the London Councils Independent Remuneration Panel's 2023 report on councillor remuneration.

The current allowances budget stands at £1.4 million, with the proposed SRA changes adding an estimated £0.2 million in full-year costs. It also flags a newer factor: since 11 May 2026, councillors have been able to opt into the Local Government Pension Scheme under recent legislation, meaning the council could face employer pension contributions — estimated at £2,460 on the £15,000 Basic Allowance alone — for any members who choose to join.

The report acknowledges the reputational risk of the proposal, stating plainly that "public or stakeholder concern about increasing allowances" is a foreseeable risk, and that the way to mitigate it is through transparency about the statutory framework and financial impact rather than by changing course.

A spokesperson for the Labour Group in Hounslow said, "This administration is reforming councillor allowances with two priorities in mind: to make public service more accessible and to provide greater transparency.

"Nobody goes into local politics for the money. But money shouldn't be the thing that stops people entering public life. By recognising the significant time and career sacrifices that councillors make, it is hoped that more local people from different backgrounds will be able to enter public service.

"The old system was not fit for purpose, with no clear rationale for why certain positions received greater remuneration than others. The new system will match councillor remuneration to the minimum time commitment expected for every position. This will create greater transparency and accountability around the allowance that every councillor receives."

If approved, the revised scheme will apply retrospectively from 1 April 2026.

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