TAUNTON town councillors have voted in favour of an annual allowance.

They voted on the Framework Scheme, with the majority being in favour of a basic allowance of £1,550 plus travel and subsistence costs available to councillors, after considering an independent report.

At the meeting, it was also explained that if councillors do not wish to claim it, the allowance can be disbursed to general funds.

During the discussion, Cllr Caroline Ellis, who voted against the proposal, said: “This year when we are putting council tax up by such a huge amount because we want to improve Taunton, we want to invest in Taunton it doesn’t sit well to introduce it this year.

“My concern is we currently have an expenses pot, but the budget currently says there’s no members’ expenses pot, it’s just all under members allowances.

“I think we need to distinguish between expenses, so travel expenses, and anything else you might want to add on top because there are people who, if they don’t get expenses to get here [town council meeting] covered, will not be able to participate.

“So there are kind of costs at the level of removing barriers to participation that I would call sort of expenses.

“And I know the report is a bit strange. It talks about mileage, but it doesn’t recognise there may be disabled councillors who need a taxi to get here.”

Cllr Ellis also said she wanted the council, “this year, to not agree to this, not to pay ourselves an allowance, to reinstitute expenses and show that we understand people out there”.

She suggested the issue should have been considered next year with “things stabilised after a change of government”.

Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts said: “I think I spoke about this before, about my desire to widen the demographic of involvement in politics and make sure that politics is available for all regardless of income, age, gender, lots of different reasons independent of politics.

“Having a members’ allowance is something that allows people to partake without having to necessarily worry about their income being affected by the time that they devote to the community.

“I also believe and I stand to be corrected by officers that it’s voluntary if you take it, you don’t have to take it, so you can choose not to take it, but it allows those who have got to give up time from paid employment, or those who have a mortgage, or other different reasons, to be able to contribute to society.

“Therefore, I think it’s something that we need to have. It allows people who want to come forward to start thinking that it’s there.

“I get that this is a difficult time for residents, I get that we’ve increased council tax but we’ve also increased the responsibility that we are now taking.

“We’re going to make some big decisions, we’re going to give up more time.

“If you’ve got the ability not to take it because you’ve got the funding in your life not to have to take it, then do so, that can be a personal choice but it doesn’t stop the rest of us partaking and representing our residents.”

Cllr Amber Packer-Hughes added: “This is an independent report. It’s completely normal for a town council our size to have some kind of allowance.

“We would be an anomaly if we didn’t. I think it’s really important that we don’t put any pressure on any councillors here to take it or not to take it.

“No one should be made to feel in any way guilty for accepting an allowance which is a perfectly normal thing to have.

“I think it’s really important that we talk positively about this so that nobody feels under pressure to not take it when it could actually make a difference to them when we put an enormous amount of hours through the main council meetings, through committee meetings, through working groups, and dealing with our constituents.

“It’s actually a very labour-intensive job that we are doing.”

Cllr Ray Tully asked whether a councillor who receives the allowance could give it to a charity and he was told by a town council clerk that once the allowance is paid, it is then up to the councillor.

The leader of the council, Cllr Tom Deakin, said this was a “difficult topic” and added that “there’s never a good time to introduce members allowance”.

Before the vote, he said: “I am sure we’ll sit here this time next year and there would be a series of reasons why it’s bad, and there’s always reasons why it’s bad.

“But I think we need to understand that’s enabling members’ participation around the table.

“Politics uses independent panels for a reason because they are independent to give the best possible advice about what they think is right for that particular authority.

“The panel came up with their conclusions and I’m comfortable with the conclusions that those experts came up with and I’ll happily defend that to anyone given the amount of time, energy, and responsibility, that this role now has especially.

“So I really hope members around the table think about that we are following an independent advice to councillors.”