Councillors have voted for their own pay rise.

The majority of Kirklees Council’s 69 members agreed to a 2% rise.

But many abstained by not taking part in the vote at all.

The vote was passed with 51 members agreeing to support the increase.

In a repeat of last year’s vote Green councillor for Newsome, Clr Karen Allison, was the only one to officially vote against it.

Huddersfield Town Hall Council Chambers.

But more than a dozen councillors in the chamber did not vote at all while half a dozen were missing from the meeting.

The pay rise came after an independent panel recommended a 2% increase in the basic allowance.

The boost – double last year’s increase – is set to match what thousands of Kirklees Council employees have been offered. They are yet to agree it, with the major unions still in discussions with HR chiefs.

The 2% rise will bring councillors’ basic allowance to £13,360 – a £268 per year increase at a total cost of £18,009 to taxpayers.

Councillors awarded themselves a 3.2% pay rise in 2016 but that came after seven years of no increases.

The extra pay that councillors get for being leaders or chairing committees is set to be frozen.

The so-called Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) see the leader of the council get an additional £25,155 on top of the £13,360 basic – a total of £38,515.

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The deputy leader receives an extra £18,866 – a total of £32,226.

All members of the cabinet are given £12,274 – bringing their income to £25,364.

Other boosts include £6,138 for chairing a planning committee or scrutiny panel and £4,999 for being Business Manager of a political party.

Councillors’ expenses allowances are set to be unchanged.

They are currently banned from claiming any travel or meal expenses for duties within Kirklees.

All councillors are given a laptop, Pc or tablet, such as an iPad, to complete their work at home.

Holiday allowance is 28 days – in line with most public sector jobs.

New maternity and paternity allowances were brought in last December in an emergency meeting after 25-year-old Clr Erin Hill became the first serving councillor to fall pregnant.

Clr. Erin Hill - Kirklees Council Cabinet Member - Family Support & Child Protection.

She is currently on maternity leave after giving birth to a boy in February.

Council tax in Kirklees will rise by 6% this year.