Scottish local government politicians could receive a £20,000 pay-off if they step down at the next local government elections to let more young blood in.
Councillors will get the ‘severance payments’ following recommendations made by the Scottish local government remuneration committee.
However, the announcement by Tom McCabe, the minister for finance at the Scottish Executive, was met with anger in councils because it is £10,000 less than the committee suggested.
The severance payments will be judged on a sliding scale depending on length of service. Those with four- to 10-years’ service will get £10,000, those with 10 to 15 years’ service, £15,000, and councillors who have been in post for longer will receive £20,000.
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“The system of remuneration for councillors is crying out for reform,” McCabe said. “We have said all along that we would have to consider the affordability and public acceptability of the proposals.
“We do still recognise that councillors should be properly remunerated for the work they do, while ensuring it is transparent to the people we all serve,” he said.
