Bill for Hertfordshire county councillors’ allowances tops £1.45m

Hertfordshire county councillors received more than £1.45m in allowances in 2023/24, according to the latest published data.

Members and those co-opted onto the authority’s committees are not paid a salary or wage.

However, they are eligible for a range of allowances and expenses, designed to cover the cost of carrying out their duties.

The amounts claimed during the 2023/24 financial year have just been published on the county council’s website.

All 78 county councillors are eligible to claim a basic allowance of £11,751 annually and the bill was £914,774.59 in 2023/24.

There are further ‘special responsibility allowances’ for those with roles including council leader and deputy leader, cabinet members, committee chairs and opposition spokespersons.

In total, 43 councillors were awarded special responsibility allowances during 2023/24 – totalling £517,681.

The highest of these allowances – awarded in addition to the basic allowance – was £47,004 for the leader of the council, Conservative Cllr Richard Roberts.

The data also shows that during 2023/24, 23 members claimed £17,330 for travel and subsistence.

Nine people co-opted onto committees or other council bodies received allowances totalling £5,500 over the 12 months, ranging from £500 to £1,000.

The total amount of allowances claimed in 2023/24 was £1,455,689.