Town Councillors can decide whether to accept expenses

Welshpool’s town councillors will have the right to claim over £200 a year in expenses this year, but it is likely that most, if not all, will decline the opportunity.

Councillors voted last week to accept the policy for ‘members of Community and Town Councils to be paid £156 a year towards the extra household expenses (including heating, lighting, power and broadband) of working from home’.

They also accepted that the council must offer to ‘either pay their members £52 a year for the cost of office consumables required to carry out their role, or alternatively must enable members to claim full reimbursement of the cost of their office consumables’.

But councillors have previously turned down the offer, and judging by comments at the meeting it is unlikely that the offer will be taken up again.

The Mayor will also be offered up to £1,500 to carry out their duties, but current Mayor, Cllr Phil Owen, and previous Mayor, Cllr Nick Howells, both previously declined the money.

Town councillors take on their positions on a voluntary basis, dedicating countless hours throughout the year without any payment.