A PAY CUT for senior councillors brought in to avert devastating cuts to youth services will take up to six months to be brought in, it has been confirmed.

Councillors agreed to share a £43,000 cut to their special responsibility allowances in a bid to limit the impact of cuts to youth services.

However, councillors have yet to take the cut in their pay, with the process likely to stretch on into the autumn.

Conservative councillor Andrew Wealls, who helped bring the proposal to budget council, said he was not surprised that there had been no progress on the plans.

Council officials said it was still to be decided whether councillors might have to pay back some of the special allowances they have received since April once the level of reductions had been agreed with the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP).

Councillors can receive up to £30,000 in special allowances depending on their responsibilities on top of a basic allowance of around £12,000.

The amount allowances will be cut will be decided by the IRP.

The cuts to the near £1 million cost of councillor allowances were agreed as part of a raft of last minute changes to the budget in February which saw the proposed £800,000 of youth services cuts reduced to just a quarter of that figure.

Additional funding from the council’s housing revenue account, increased fees for building services and the removal of diesel car permit discounts also helped to limit the damage to youth services.

A Conservative proposal to cut the neighbourhoods, communities and equalities committee, now called the neighbourhoods, inclusion, communities and equalities committee (NICE), to make further savings was defeated.

Cllr Wealls said: “It was a Conservative group proposal that the best remunerated councillors, those with special responsibility allowances, help to support our youth service.

“We also suggested getting rid of a council talking shop, jokingly known as the NICE committee.

“We’ve seen no progress at all on the councillor special allowance proposal; whilst the Greens and Labour wanted to keep the NICE Committee.

“I can’t say I’m very surprised.”

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said: “The agreed budget included part-year funding for the youth service to reflect the time needed to implement any changes to members’ allowances.

“Once agreed at budget council the implementation of these changes meant the youth services budget for the year ahead was approved right away.

“However, before the council makes a decision about members’ allowances, it is required by law to have regard to the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel.

“The panel will meet once the council finishes a review of current arrangements through the cross-party constitutional working group.

“The working group is due to meet this month.

“Any recommendations will go through the council’s decision-making process.

“The Independent Remuneration Panel will then consider what changes to members’ allowances to recommend to full council.

“We expect this to be done by the autumn.”

WHO GETS WHAT

Senior councillor allowances*:

Council leader: £11,463 (basic allowance), £28,758 (special allowance)

Deputy leader: £11,463 (basic allowance), £15,392.60 (special allowance)

Opposition leader: £11,463 (basic allowance), £13,803 (special allowance)

*Figures for 2014/15, most recent, non-election year available.

Councillors’ allowances are set on the recommendations of an independent panel.

The total budget for councillors’ allowances is £966,000.

Savings of £43,000 are planned for 2017/18.