District councillors are set to decide whether to give themselves a pay rise.

Wychavon District Council meets on Wednesday (April 17) and members’ allowances are on the agenda.

The Independent Remuneration Panel, which advises the council on how much members should be compensated, has recommended an 8.6 percent increase in councillors’ basic allowance, taking it to £5,518.

But while councillors are required to ‘have regard’ to the recommendations of the panel, they are not obliged to agree to them.

A report going before council also suggests allowances for the chairman and vice chairman of the council for 2024/25 are set at £8,224 and £3,385 respectively.

In February, the council voted to raise council tax bills by £5 for the average band D property - the district’s first increase in six years.

Council leader Chris Day said after the meeting: “Despite this rise, our council tax will still be the lowest in Worcestershire and one of the lowest in the country and we’ll work hard to make sure we are using taxpayers’ money efficiently and delivering value for every pound spent.”

The council is also being asked to approve a new Pay Policy Statement at this Wednesday’s meeting.

A pay policy sets out a council’s approach to how the salaries of its employees are set and the levels of remuneration for its senior staff.

It is a legal requirement for councils to produce such a document before the start of each financial year.

According to figures published by the Taxpayers’ Alliance last week, the joint chief executive of Wychavon and Malvern Hills district council took home a total of £170,007 last.

Two other executives with roles across the two councils also appear on the Town Hall Rich List 2024.

Wychavon’s deputy chief executive also received £113,153 total remuneration.

A spokesman for Wychavon District Council said: “It’s important to recognise three of the four people on the list are working across two councils.

"Since 2016 our shared management arrangement with Malvern Hills District Council has saved millions of pounds and contributed to us being able to continue to invest in our communities, provide good quality services and freeze our share of the Council Tax bill for six of the last seven years.”