Check how much money councillors earn in a year in Rotherham

The base salary in Rotherham was set at £11,471.04 and those having additional responsibilities – such as committee chairs or co-opts – were given extra allowances.

Starting this summer, allowances are visible next to the councillors’ names on Rotherham Council’s website.

This is a development that Coun Michael Bennett-Sylvester (Independent) welcomed as he was the one who asked about this possibility a couple of weeks ago at the full council meeting.

However, he decided not to take the full amount and he was the only councillor at Rotherham Council who opted to do so.

Coun Bennett-Sylvester “only took” £7,777.3 and he said he wouldn’t take 100 per cent of the base this year, either.

He told the Local Democracy Service he had voluntarily taken less money as promised in his election manifesto.

He said: “Councillors don’t get a wage – they get allowances for the time they take off work.

“What really annoys me is that the only thing you need to do is turn up for one meeting in six months and you get the full money.

“The election promise I had was I’d claim what it cost me (to be a councillor) so I don’t claim the full allowance – it only reflects the time I lose due to council duties.

“This year, it’s going to be a little bit more – nine-thousand and odd pounds.

“I do it basically you don’t have to take the full amount of money, that’s in the constitution.”

It is no surprise that Coun Chris Read, the leader of the council, tops the chart with a total of £37,322.04 for the last year.

He was followed by Coun Sarah Ann Allen (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Working) with £25,689.

The eight cabinet members (and Coun Maggi Clark, the chair of the overview and scrutiny management board) were at £24,396.

A spokesperson for Rotherham Council said: “The allowances detailed on the Council website for each individual member is the amount that the Council pays for basic and special responsibility allowances.

“This is subject to ‘Pay as You Earn’ rules, where deductions are made for Income Tax and National Insurance.

“The amount of money received will vary compared to the amount published because of the ‘Pay as You Earn’ deductions.”