COUNCILLORS in the Borders could be in line for a 22 per cent pay hike, it has emerged.

The Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee has recommended that the basic pay for a councillor should rise from £20,099 to £24,581.

The increase is seen as a way of attracting a diverse range of candidates to seek elected office.

The committee also recommends that councillors who lose an election should receive an “exit payment” similar to that given to MPs and MSPs.

The committee said that boosting the financial package on offer to councillors would make the job more attractive.

And they recommended the salary be set at 80 per cent of the average salary for all employees in the public sector.

A number of councillors were approached for comment on the recommendations and most were, perhaps understandably, reluctant to respond.

One elected member who did reply was councillor James Anderson, independent for East Berwickshire.

He said: “I do my councillor role full time. I know other councillors have other jobs that take priority sometimes, so it depends how you view your councillor.

“If your councillor is working full time then it should be a full-time wage but I am aware that the public do feel those that are part time can be seen to be overpaid, if they’re not doing their 40-hour week.

“So it just depends on what councillors you have representing you and how many hours they put in.”

Councillor Drummond Begg, Lib Dem for Tweeddale West, thought the timing of the recommendation was inappropriate due to the current restraints imposed on public spending.

He said: “I get the idea behind this, which is to encourage people of working age to stand for election, but the timing of this is poor and I don’t think politicians should be first in line for a pay rise.”

Meanwhile, leaders of larger local authorities, such as Edinburgh and Glasgow, would receive the same as an MSP under the recommendations.

The Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee was reconvened in April last year for the first time since 2011.

It followed a joint statement by the Scottish Government and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities which said they recognised “the need for a review of councillor pay to ensure that terms and conditions truly reflect the responsibilities of a modern-day councillor, and that remuneration does not act as a barrier to encouraging a diverse range of people to stand for elected office”.

The new report by the committee said: “On the basis of the evidence gathered, the committee recommends that the role of councillor continues to be fulfilled on a part-time basis, while the role of senior councillors is likely to require to be fulfilled on a full-time basis.

“Notwithstanding, the committee recommends that the definitions ‘full-time’ and ‘part-time’ should no longer be applied when describing the role of councillors, and that the role should be treated as a public office within Scotland’s democratic processes, as is the case for MPs and MSPs.”

They added: “The committee recommends that the salaries of all councillors continue to be uplifted on an annual basis.

“The committee recommends that resettlement (severance) payments are introduced for councillors losing office. This should be modelled on the system applied to MSPs and should be in place for the next election cycle.”

The basic pay for a councillor is currently £20,099, while an MSP is on £67,662.

The report added: “The committee recommends that the Scottish Government considers whether existing legislation needs to be reviewed to strengthen requirements on councillors to perform their duties.

“Given the committee’s recommended link of councillor pay to 80 per cent of median public sector pay, councils should monitor and report upon councillor activity levels and attendance at formal council meetings.”