Derry & Strabane Council raise concerns over potential £19,000 wage hike for MLAs

At the recent Full Council Meeting, People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin proposed contacting Stormont about the plans, which could see a 38 percent increase to the current £51,000 annual MLA salary.

Councillor Harkin’s motion stated: “Stormont MLAs are already paid £20,000 more than the average industrial wage and way above the average wage in the council area.”

“Council notes a recent LucidTalk poll published in the Belfast Telegraph that found that an overall 77 percent majority of respondents disagreed with an increase, with outright opposition to the MLA pay hike increasing to 83 percent from working class poll respondents.”

Councillor Harkin argued that MLAs were “already very well-paid compared to the vast majority of people”, and claimed they had not done enough to justify such a large increase in wages.

He said: “If Stormont was delivering better health services, fixing the housing problem, doing something about mental health, and dealing with our infrastructure problems, you could say they would have a good argument.

“People do not see delivery right now from Stormont, and to actually gift yourself a £20,000 pay raise is a world turned upside down.”

Sinn Féin councillor Christopher Jackson questioned the accuracy of the figures within councillor Harkin’s motion but said his party supported it, while SDLP councillor John Boyle also voiced support for the motion as the pay rise was a “hell of a hike”.

“There have been people out on strike trying to get a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work,” Councillor Boyle said. “ And I’m not implying that MLAs don’t work hard.

“However in the current climate [when] there are hundreds of thousands of people struggling out there, we don’t think [the pay rise] could be in any way justifiable at this juncture.”

DUP Alderman Keith Kerrigan said his party did not support the proposal.

He noted that MLA pay was decided by the independent Remuneration Board, not MLAs themselves, and it was not within council or Stormont’s remit to make a determination on pay rises.

Andrew Balfour,

Local Democracy Reporter.