Senior councillors in Tower Hamlets have been told they must work at least three days a week after voting through a significant increase in their annual allowances.
Mayor Lutfur Rahman announced on 15 July that members of his cabinet had signed an agreement committing to the minimum attendance requirement, saying residents expected high standards from those in leadership positions.
Addressing his cabinet, Mr Rahman said councillors needed to work “at least three days a week, full time” and maintain a “high standard” in carrying out their duties.
The announcement comes two months after councillors voted to increase member allowances following a four-year freeze. .Under the new arrangements, all councillors in Tower Hamlets are entitled to a basic allowance of £12,829 per year, up from £11,898.
Cabinet members receive an additional allowance of £35,500, taking their total annual entitlement to £48,292. Deputy Mayor Maium Talukdar is now entitled to at least £56,874 a year.
Although councillor allowances are not technically salaries, they are designed to support elected members in carrying out their public duties, including reducing working hours elsewhere if required.
The increase was approved by members of the ruling Aspire Party in May.
Supporters of the rise argued that low allowances can discourage people, particularly those from working-class backgrounds, from entering local politics.
Speaking during the debate in May, Deputy Mayor Talukdar said: “Our council allowance, being lower than other similar authorities, could discourage working class residents from standing for election to council and joining public service.”
He also argued that cabinet members are expected to spend most of their week dealing with council responsibilities, often limiting their ability to maintain other employment.
According to publicly available declarations of interest, only three of the nine Aspire cabinet members currently list outside employment.
The council says the new allowances remain below those paid to councillors in neighbouring boroughs including Hackney, Lewisham and Newham, and are also lower than levels recommended by an independent remuneration panel.
However, opposition councillors questioned the scale of the increase.
Labour councillor David Edgar said he accepted the need to review allowances after four years without an increase but warned that many residents would be unhappy with the size of the rise.
The increase also places cabinet allowances well above the earnings of the council’s lowest-paid full-time employees, who currently earn £29,808 per year.
The new attendance commitment is expected to form part of efforts by the mayor’s administration to demonstrate greater accountability following the allowance increases.
