Councillor pay is set to rise again by more than £1,000 per year from next April, with a draft report suggesting a move to taking the basic salary of all members to £19,771, despite the increasing pressure on councils to cut services and raise council tax in a bid to balance the books.

The basic pay of a county councillor in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire will rise by 5.9 per cent and more than £1,000 a year from £18,666 to the new figure of £19,771 from 31 March 2025 if the recommendations of the draft annual report from the Independent Remuneration Panel of Wales (IRPW) are accepted following a consultation.

The IPRW sets councillor pay each year, and suggest the more than £1,000 a year pay lift for next year on the back of a rise of £1,000 last year and a 17 per cent hike in salary for all councillors the year before in a bid to bring councillor pay in line with average earnings in order to attract a wider range of candidates to fill the roles.

In Pembrokeshire, the Council’s leader (currently Cllr Jon Harvey) is line for a £3,729 a year pay rise, bringing the pay for the role up to £66,727 from £62,998 last year.

The deputy leader (Cllr Paul Miller at present) pay will rise from £44,099 to £46,709; while the salary for senior cabinet members will increase to £40,036 from £37,799.

Committee chairs will receive a boost to £29,657; while the pay for the leader of the opposition on the council will also rise to the same amount.

For town and community councils such as Tenby Town Council, all councils must pay their members £156 a year towards the extra household expenses (including heating, lighting, power and broadband) of working from home.

IRPW chairwoman Frances Duffy said: “The Panel believes fair and reasonable levels of remuneration are crucial to local democracy.”

The proposals will now be consulted and before a final report is issued in February next year.