Councillors agree upon slight pay increase amid calls for independent oversight

Derry City and Strabane District Council welcomed the Department for Communities (DfC) taking over the responsibility for setting members' pay rates.

Members of December’s Governance and Strategic Planning Committee approved an updated Scheme of Allowances for members for 2025/26, which will see a small increase from the initial £18,329 annual allowance approved by the Committee in May to £18,916, from April this year.

Lead Democratic Services and Improvement Officer, Ellen Cavanagh, also noted that DfC is currently seeking an amendment to legislation, which will transfer responsibility for setting the rate of the allowance paid to councillors to the Department.

Councillor Christopher Jackson and his fellow Sinn Féin members abstained from voting on the pay rise.

Councillor Jackson said it was “extremely frustrating and disappointing” that members were being asked to take “a decision on our own remuneration”.

“We’ve been consistent by saying we don’t believe that we should be taking a decision on our own pay,” he added. “ At least we know that there’s an acknowledgement that councils shouldn’t be in this position [and] it should be taken out of their hands.

“Hopefully this is the last time that this council will be in this position.

“From our perspective it’s not a recommendation that we can support, but we don’t want to be voting down a pay raise if others feel it’s appropriate.

“So on that basis we will be abstaining, in the hope that members will never be asked that they take a vote of this nature again.”

DUP alderman Keith Kerrigan supported the rise, but agreed that the decision “should not be coming to council”.

He added: “Effectively this should be set independently, and it is set independently, but hopefully we are getting to the end of this and it won’t be brought before us in the future.”

UUP alderman Derek Hussey also supported the proposal and noted: “It’s been agreed, that issue of taking the allowance out of the hands of local councils and into the Department.

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“It is disappointing that it is taking so long for the legislation to actually go through at Stormont and to allow that to happen.”

SDLP councillor Brian Tierney said his party “very reluctantly” supported the proposal, as they did not want to deny other members a pay rise.

“Once again councillors are being asked to vote on whether they get a pay rise or not, that is something that I thought would have been dealt with before now,” he concluded.

“We don’t want to vote on our own pay but we also don’t want to stop others, who feel that they need or deserve this increase, getting it."