Thursday, December 5, 2024

Local Government Remuneration Tribunal hands down fees schedule

The NSW Local Government Remuneration Tribunal has handed down its 2021 Annual Report and Determination on the fees payable to councillors and mayors.

The Tribunal granted a 2% increase in the fees payable to Councillors and Mayors, which is 0.5% less than the maximum allowable increase under the Government’s wages policy. The increase will take effect on and from 1 July 2021.

The Tribunal received 18 submissions – 17 from individual councils and a submission from Local Government NSW. The Tribunal also met with the President and Chief Executive of Local Government NSW. All submissions were discussed at length with the assessors and the Tribunal acknowledged the difficulties imposed by COVID-19, bushfires, floods and the unique challenges of connectivity and travel experienced by mayors and councillors in regional and remote locations.

The Tribunal did not undertake a broad review of the categorisation of councils and considered only those requests where an individual submission was made. The Tribunal considered nine requests for re-categorisation, with four of these requests seeking the creation of new categories. In each of these requests the Tribunal considered the case put forward and the criteria for each category. However, it determined that the current categories and allocation of councils to these categories remained appropriate.

The Tribunal will next consider the categorisation model, the criteria applicable to each group and the allocation of councils in detail in 2023.

For further information, consult the Tribunal’s Annual Report and Determination or contact Local Government NSW’s Workplace Relations Unit on (02) 9242 4049 and ask to speak with an Industrial Officer.

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