Highland Council have agreed to boost senior councillor pay by between £5-11k this year.
The move adds almost £500k to the councillor wage bill, bringing it to a new total of £2.3 million.
The decision comes as the Scottish government agreed standard councillor pay should be increased.
How much has pay gone up for senior councillors?
The council leader and council convenor have secured a 22% pay rise.
This will see their salary increase by £10,981 and £8,234 a year respectively.
Other senior council positions, including opposition leader and leader of the Inverness committee will increase by between £5,095 and £7,108.
The slightly smaller 21.7% increase is the same rise as was seen for regular councillors that was previously set by the Scottish Government.
Highland Council are allowed a leader, convenor and up to 19 additional senior council positions.
How much is it going to cost?
The total bill for the pay rises comes to £490k, bringing the total pay award to councillors to £2.3 million.
The council’s finances were agreed on March 6 and these rises were included in budget calculations.
The Scottish Government agreed the current pay level for councillors to come into effect on the 1st April 2025 after a report from the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC).
Councillors failed to address ‘read the room’ concerns
Ahead of the meeting, Labour councillor Michael Gregson said councillors should consider “reading the room” before approving the pay rise.
He said: “With the 7% council tax rise, rents up by 8%, and the pre-existing higher prices people pay in the Highlands, this pay award is just wrong.
He added that senior councillors should not take a pay rise when “many people are not impressed with the council’s performance”.
“This is head-in-the-sand stuff, ignoring the very evident issues which are far from being fixed – in roads and infrastructure, education, social work, housing…”
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