Walsall Councillors' Allowances Total Over £1.22 Million in Past Year
Councillors in Walsall have cost taxpayers a substantial sum of more than £1.22 million in allowances during the 2025-26 financial year. This figure highlights the financial commitments associated with local governance, with all elected members receiving a baseline payment regardless of their individual ward activities.
Highest Earners and Leadership Roles
The highest earner was the leader of the council, Councillor Mike Bird, who received £34,835.14 on top of his basic pay, bringing his total to £48,722.14. It is noteworthy that this amount would have been even higher if he had served as leader for the entire period, as he only assumed the role in June of last year.
Following closely was the Mayor of Walsall, Councillor Louise Harrison, who earned £27,630.55 in additional allowances, resulting in a total of £41,517.55. These figures underscore the extra compensation provided for senior positions within the council structure.
Basic Allowance and Special Responsibilities
Every councillor at Walsall Council is entitled to a basic allowance of £13,887. This payment is standard and does not vary based on the time each councillor dedicates to assisting residents in their respective wards.
However, certain members receive a special responsibility allowance on top of this basic rate for undertaking additional duties. These roles include serving on the ruling cabinet or holding senior positions on various committees, which involve more complex and time-consuming responsibilities.
Impact of Upcoming Elections
With all-out elections scheduled for next month, significant changes in the leadership at Walsall Council are anticipated. This shift is expected to lead to a substantial reduction in the additional allowances that many councillors have become accustomed to, potentially altering the financial landscape of local politics.
Detailed Breakdown of Allowances
Below is a comprehensive list of all allowances paid to each Walsall Councillor for the 2025-26 financial year, ranked from highest to lowest, including their party affiliation, ward, and any extra responsibilities:
- Councillor Mike Bird, Conservative, Pheasey Park Farm ward, leader of the council – Total pay: £48,722.14
- Councillor Louise Harrison, Conservative, Bloxwich West ward, Mayor of Walsall – Total pay: £41,517.55
- Councillor Adrian Andrew, Conservative, Pheasey Park Farm ward, deputy leader and portfolio holder for regeneration – Total pay: £37,866.96
- Councillor Mark Statham, Conservative, Bloxwich East ward, deputy leader and portfolio holder for education and skills – Total pay: £37,866.96
- Councillor Pardeep Kaur, Conservative, Aldridge Central and South ward, portfolio holder for housing support and resident access – Total pay: £33,416.04
- Councillor Gary Flint, Conservative, Bloxwich East, portfolio holder for culture, health and wellbeing – Total pay: £33,416.04
- Councillor Keir Pedley, Conservative, Streetly ward, portfolio holder for adult social care – Total pay: £33,416.04
- Councillor Adam Hicken, Conservative, Willenhall North ward, portfolio holder for children’s and safer communities – Total pay: £32,632.15
- Councillor Suky Samra, Independent, Streetly ward, former Conservative portfolio holder for street scene – Total pay: £29,672.97
- Councillor Aftab Nawaz, Walsall Community Independents, St Matthew’s ward, group leader – Total pay: £26,865.96
- Councillor Matt Ward, Labour, Darlaston South ward, group leader – Total pay: £26,865.96
- Councillor Amo Hussain, Walsall Community Independents, Birchills Leamore ward, former Conservative portfolio holder for internal services – Total pay: £26,342.92
- Councillor John Murray, Conservative, Brownhills ward, vice-chair of planning committee and chair of scrutiny committee – Total pay: £25,819.98
- Councillor Khizar Hussain, Walsall Community Independents, Pleck ward, chair of social care and health scrutiny committee – Total pay: £25,819.98
- Councillor Matthew Follows, Conservative, Bloxwich West ward, chair of street scene and communities scrutiny committee – Total pay: £25,819.98
- Councillor Natalie Latham, Labour, Willenhall South ward, chair of children’s, families and education scrutiny committee – Total pay: £25,819.98
- Councillor Ken Ferguson, Conservative, Brownhills ward, chair of prosperous places and investment scrutiny committee – Total pay: £25,764.35
- Councillor Sarah-Jane Cooper, Independent, Streetly ward, chair of taxi licensing committee and vice-chair of children’s, families and education scrutiny committee – Total pay: £24,574.88
- Councillor Nick Gandham, Conservative, Paddock ward, chair of licensing and safety committee – Total pay: £23,739.00
- Councillor Bobby Bains, Conservative, Aldridge Central and South ward, chair of taxi licensing committee – Total pay: £23,705.14
- Councillor Christine Bott, Independent, Darlaston South ward, deputy mayor of Walsall – Total pay: £20,864.42
- Councillor Poonam Gill, Conservative, Short Heath ward, chair of standards committee – Total pay: £19,786.19
- Councillor Waheed Rasab, Conservative, Paddock ward – Total pay: £19,244.28
- Councillor Lorna Rattigan, Conservative, Rushall-Shelfield ward, chair of corporate parenting board – Total pay: £18,864.60
- Councillor Keith Sears, Conservative, Aldridge North and Walsall Wood ward – Total pay: £18,051.73
- Anthony Harris, Conservative, Aldridge North and Walsall Wood ward, former Mayor of Walsall – Total pay: £17,918.05
- Councillor Izzy Hussain, Walsall Community Independents, Blakenall ward – Total pay: £17,851.39
- Councillor Edward Lee, Conservative, Pelsall ward, former cabinet member – Total pay: £17,630.06
- Councillor Kerry Murphy, Conservative, Brownhills ward, former cabinet member – Total pay: £17,630.06
- Councillor Amandeep Garcha, Conservative, Short Heath ward, former cabinet member – Total pay: £17,630.06
- Councillor Gaz Ali, Walsall Community Independents, Birchills Leamore ward, chair of employment appeals committee and vice chair of licensing and safety committee – Total pay: £16,713.67
- Councillor Stacie Elson, Independent, Willenhall North ward, former portfolio holder for children’s services – Total pay: £16,091.89
- Councillor Gurmeet Singh Sohal, Conservative, Paddock ward, cabinet support assistant – Total pay: £15,465.68
- Councillor Rose Martin, Conservative, Pelsall ward – Total pay: £15,079.55
- Councillor Josh Whitehouse, Conservative, Short Heath ward – Total pay: £15,079.55
- Councillor Christopher Towe, Conservative, Pheasey Park Farm ward – Total pay: £14,756.74
- Councillor Jade Chapman, Advance UK, Rushall-Shelfield ward – Total pay: £14,424.08
- Paul Bott, Independent, Darlaston South – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Rose Burley, Labour, Bentley and Darlaston North – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Tim Wilson, Conservative, Aldridge Central and South – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Naheed Gultasib, Walsall Community Independents, Pleck ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Sabina Ditta, Walsall Community Independents, Palfrey ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Vera Waters, Independent, Rushall-Shelfield ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Hajran Bashir, Walsall Community Independents, Palfrey ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Corin Statham, Conservative, Bloxwich East – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Saiqa Nasreen, Walsall Community Independents, Bentley and Darlaston North ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Farhana Hassan, Walsall Community Independents, St Matthew’s ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Pete Smith, Walsall Community Independents, Blakenall ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Shakila Hussain, Walsall Community Independents, Palfrey ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Tina Jukes, Labour, Birchills-Leamore ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Simran Cheema, Labour, Willenhall South ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Ram K. Mehmi, Labour, Pleck ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Rob Larden, Conservative, Willenhall North ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Amanda Parkes, Conservative, Aldridge North and Walsall Wood ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Emma Morgan, Labour, Blakenall ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Eileen Russell, Labour, St Matthew’s ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Klara Margetts, Labour, Willenhall South ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Lucie Nahal, Labour, Bentley and Darlaston North ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Councillor Michael Coulson, Labour, Bloxwich West ward – Total pay: £13,887.00
- Garry Perry, former leader and councillor in Pelsall ward – Total pay: £10,985.98
- Councillor Graham Eardley, Independent, Pelsall ward – Total pay: £7,676.43
Council Statement on Allowances
A spokesperson for Walsall Council provided clarity on the allowance system, stating: “Members of Walsall Council receive an annual basic allowance. This includes the costs of telephones, travel, and subsistence in the borough of Walsall. Recommendations about the level of members’ allowances are made to council by an Independent Remuneration Panel. There are some councillors with special responsibilities, for example, cabinet members or committee chairs, whereby members receive an additional allowance. The council publishes records of members’ allowances each year, plus a register of all expenses.”
This transparency ensures that taxpayers are informed about how public funds are allocated to support local governance, with all figures covering the period from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
