Hertfordshire Councillors claim nearly £1.5m in allowances in one year

County councillors in Hertfordshire were paid a total of £1.45m in allowances in 2023/24, according to the latest published data.

County councillors and those who are co-opted on to council committees are not paid a salary or a wage.

But they are eligible to claim a range of allowances and expenses, designed to cover the costs of carrying out their duties,.

And 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 – which totalled £914,774.59 in 2023/24.

And there are further ‘special responsibility allowances’ for those with roles that include council leader and deputy leader, cabinet members, committee chairs and opposition spokespersons.

In total there were 43 councillors who were awarded special responsibility allowances during the 2023/24 – totalling £517,681.49.

The highest of these allowances – which are awarded in addition to the basic allowance – was £47,004 for the leader of the council.

The data also shows that during 2023/24 there were 23 members who made claims for travelling and subsistence – totalling £17,330.63 .

Nine people who have been co-opted onto committees or other council bodies received co-optees allowances, ranging between £500 and £1000 – totalling £5,500 over the 12-month period.

The total amount of allowances claimed in 2023/24 was £1,455,689.50.

Details of the amounts claimed by individual councillors can be found on the council website.