West Surrey Councillors To Get £19k Basic Allowance Once New Council Takes Overs

Published on: 13 May, 2026
Updated on: 13 May, 2026

By Martin Giles

A basic allowance of £19,315 per annum will be paid to the newly elected members of West Surrey Council but this will be limited to £12,072 during the first year, when the new council will be shadowing the existing county, borough and district councils.

Special responsibility allowances (SRA) will also be paid on top of the basic. These will range from almost £60,000 for the leader to £2,300 for sub-committee chairs. No councillor can receive more than one SRA and no more than 50 per cent of members (ie 45 councillors) should receive them.

The new allowances are subject to confirmation by the new council when it meets. They have been recommended by an Independent Review Panel and according to its report: “…are intended to recognise the overall contribution made by councillors, including their work on council bodies, ward work and attendance on future external bodies”.

Those who are already county, borough and district councillors may continue to receive allowances from those authorities.

Perhaps because the structure of Planning and Licensing Committees have yet to be decided for the new council, SRAs for the chairs of those committees have not been included.

Travel allowances can also be claimed.

Councillors, Independent Persons and co-opted members should be reimbursed the cost of: second class or any available cheap rate travel using public transport on production of proof of purchase of a valid ticket or travel by taxi or private hire vehicle where no public transport is reasonably available.

All allowances will be increased annually in line with the percentage increase in staff salaries as recommended by the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services.

The same allowance scheme will apply to East Surrey Council.