SOMERSET West and Taunton Council has confirmed what its ward members can expect to ‘earn’ if they are elected on May 2.

The council will officially come into being on Monday (April 1), replacing Taunton Deane Borough Council and West Somerset Council.

As part of the transition process, the new authority has had to agree the allowances which will be paid to elected councillors in recognition of the time they will commit, both to attending meetings and representing their electors in other ways.

The finalised amounts were approved by the shadow full council in Taunton on Tuesday (March 26).

The new council’s allowances are set by the joint independent remuneration panel (JIRP), which also sets the allowance levels for Somerset County Council and Mendip District Council.

The panel agreed in December 2018 that all 59 councillors elected on May 2 will receive a basic allowance of £4,950 per year.

These are approved despite Cllr Libby Lisgo’s concerns about the panel lacking “diversity” – because all of its members are men.

The panel has since proposed the level of special responsibility allowances (SRAs), which can be claimed by members of the executive or councillors who sit on or chair various committees, such as planning and scrutiny.

To find out how much councillors could receive as SRAs per year under the agreed proposals, buy this week’s Free Press (March 29).