Councillor pay will rise again by more than £1,000 per year from April for the third year in a row, after plans to raise the basic salary of all members to more than £21,000 were signed off following a consultation.

The basic pay of a county councillor in Ceredigion, Powys, Gwynedd and Pembrokeshire will rise by 6.4 per cent - more than £1,000 a year - from £19,771 to the new figure of £21,044 from 31 March after the recommendations in a draft report from the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru were accepted following a consultation.

Last year, councillor’s pay rose by more than £1,000, when it jumped to £19,771 from £18,666.

That, and previous rises, were recommended by the Independent Remuneration Panel of Wales (IRPW).

The functions of the IRPW were transferred to the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru in April.

The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru will now set councillor pay each year after taking over from the IRPW.

The commission said the more than £1,000 a year pay lift for 2026 on the back of a rise of £1,000 last year, the year before that, and a 17 per cent hike in salary for all councillors for 2020 in a bid to bring councillor pay in line with average earnings in order to attract a wider range of candidates to fill the roles.

In 2019, a county councillor took home £13,868 a year for carrying out their duties.

In 2026 – just seven years later - despite deepening cuts to services and double digit council tax rises for residents - that figure is set to be more than £7,000 a year higher than it was in 2019.

The commission said the councillor salary will continue to be aligned with three fifths of the all-Wales annual salary.

The Commission consulted on its draft report in September 2025 and consultation responses from eight councils asked for a smaller increase in pay, while one council asked for no increase.

The Commission also sets pay for council leaders and executive members.

The role element of their pay will also increase by 6.4 per cent.

Chief Executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, Shereen Williams MBE OStJ said: “The Commission is pleased to publish its first remuneration report since responsibilities were transferred to us from the former Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales.

“We’d like to thank councils and others who responded to the consultation.

“Many considered arguments were made during the consultation.

“Councillors across Wales serve their communities with dedication, and run services that we all rely on every day.

“Research by the Commission shows that councillors are working an average of 28 hours per week on their roles, with many of them doing this on top of another job.

“We recognise however that council budgets are stretched and the cost of living has increased for everyone, and we’ll look at new ways of deciding councillor pay for future years over the coming months.”