Car leasing, bike to work, retail discounts and pension top-ups will be available to Angus councillors after a vote which secures them the same benefit schemes as thousands of staff.
The authority has detailed the range of perks all 28 elected members can access after the plan divided councillors.
It was put forward in a motion to last Thursday’s full council meeting by Kirriemuir SNP member George Meechan.
He said councillors should be able to take up schemes that are either cost neutral, or reduce employer’s National Insurance contributions through salary sacrifice.
What benefits will Angus councillors be able to access?
Angus Council’s staff benefit schemes are:
- Car leasing
- Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs)
- Cycle to Work
- Salary Finance loan
- Credit Union
- SmartTech (technology/white goods purchase and repayment scheme with high street retailer)
- Retail discount scheme
- HSF health plan
However, other benefits such as occupational health and employee assistance will not be available to councillors.
What do other councils offer?
Last week’s meeting heard only around a third of Scotland’s councils allow elected members to join staff benefit schemes.
We asked other Courier Country authorities for their stance on the matter.
Dundee City Council said: “The scheme is only for council employees so elected members can’t register.”
Perth and Kinross councillors can register for Cycle to Work, home and electronics, lifestyle savings, discounted bus travel and AVCs (not shared cost).
Fife Council said: “Councillors have access to the majority of employee benefits including discounts, the home and technology and cycle to work schemes and financial wellbeing support.
“They can’t buy additional leave, receive long service awards or access shared cost AVCs.”
What did Courier readers think of the decision?
The vote divided the Angus chamber 17 to 9.
Opposition to the idea centred around the public perception of elected members awarding themselves additional benefits when councillor pay increases of up to 20% were on the same agenda.
Those follow the outcome of an independent review by the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC) and are not set by Angus Council.
Comments on The Courier website echoed concerns about how taxpayers might view the move.
Councillor pay dominated the debate.
One said: “They are all out to line their own pockets while laughing at those foolish to vote for them…look at us we’ll give ourselves 20% pay rise for doing little or nothing and offer workers 3%.”
Another added: “What might actually make it attractive would be if the existing group behaved as though they were genuinely interested in serving the people of Angus more effectively.
“Too much petty political nonsense goes on and the lack of transparency and accountability is extremely off putting.”
In support of the move, one reader said: “It is up to each person to decide for themselves and if they are paid earnings by an organisation that offers this option to staff then it should be offered to all staff.”
And it sparked debate over the merits of such schemes.
“I think the more worrying issue is public services, who are paid by taxation, trying to avoid paying national insurance contributions,” said one commenter.
Another said: “Future generations are going to have to work much longer to subsidise existing pensions as well as fund their own. It’s like Government approved tax dodging.”
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