Council leaders are “not well paid” compared to other public sector roles, a panel has decided, and will boost leader and Cabinet post salaries by £800 from April.

All councillors will also receive a near two per cent pay rise from April because they are “undervalued” while council services are slashed and council tax rises, the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales has said.

The panel, which sets the salaries for all county, town and community councils in Wales, including national park authorities, has said that councillor pay should be increased by 1.97 per cent from April.

In its Final Annual Report, the panel said it “has determined an increase of 1.97 per cent to the basic salary for elected members of principal councils to begin to address the erosion of the salary in relation to average earnings”.

The rise will take the basic salary of a councillor on Ceredigion, Powys and Gwynedd county councils to £13,868.

The highest-earning councillors, those who hold senior positions, are also set to see a pay boost of £800.

The report said that “the salaries of leaders and members of the executive have not been increased for several years except for the increase in the basic element”.

“The panel considers that holders of these posts have significant functional responsibility and compared to remuneration of many other public sector roles are not well paid,” the report added.

“It has therefore determined that there should be a modest increase of £800 to the Band 1 and Band 2 senior salaries payable to the leader, deputy leader and executive members."

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