Expenses claimed by all 67 elected members of Northumberland County Council

But how much do elected members actually get for all their work serving the people who live in their ward? The answer is probably a lot less than you might think.

In Northumberland, councillors are paid a so-called basic allowance, which increases annually based on the annual pay awards for local Government staff. In 2022/23 – the most up-to-date figures provided on the council’s website, this so-called salary spinal was £16,476.

A number of councillors are also paid what is known as a “special responsibility allowance” which is paid to members who serve in the cabinet or as chairman of committees, in recognition of the extra work they do in these roles. This ranges from £27,000 for the leader of the council to £1,350 for vice-chairman of council committees.

On top of this members can also claim expenses for various costs incurred during their work as councillors. These are grouped into three categories – business fares, mileage, and subsistence.

According to the council’s figures, in 2022/23 34 of the council’s 67 members did not claim any expenses at all. The remaining 33 claimed £35,561.21 between them.

Unsurprisingly given the geographical size of Northumberland, the vast majority of this – £34,196 – was claimed as reimbursement for business miles, with most of that travelled by councillors representing the county’s more rural wards. £1,178.60 was claimed for business fares and just £187.10 was claimed for subsistence.

We’ve rounded up all the expenses claims by every councillor in the county below: