Over £500,00 has been drawn in allowances and expenses by 8 independent Isle of Wight councillors over a 3-year period.
Councillor Phil Jordan and Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox of the Alliance – who are both standing for re-election – were paid the highest sums out of the 39 ward councillors, at £76,134.95 and £73,559.96 respectively, between April 2022, and March 2025.
A total of 6 other representatives from the group have the next highest totals: Cllr Ian Stephens (£67,927.31), Cllr Julie Jones-Evans (£61,999.11), Cllr Debbie Andre (£60,872.07), Cllr Jonathan Bacon (£60,223.84), Cllr Paul Fuller (£59,573.85) and Cllr Karen Lucioni (£59,401.65).
Councillors Peacey-Wilcox and Jordan both held council leader roles during the period between April 2022 and March 2025.
Cllr Peacey-Wilcox, who represents Cowes Medina, stepped down as leader in September 2023 and was replaced by Cllr Jordan, representative for Ryde North West.
The Isle of Wight Council’s Scheme of Allowances for Councillors pays a basic allowance to every member and a special responsibility allowance to those who hold certain roles. It also includes dependent carer’s allowances and travel and subsistence arrangements.
The scheme is reviewed each year, and the council must consider recommendations from an Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) before voting on any changes.
Full council increased the basic allowance by £676 to £10,800 in January, following the IRP. The approved figure was predicted to be generally in line with inflation from 2024 to 2026.
The 8 Alliance councillors have issued a joint statement, which has also been signed by Alliance councillor Mark Jefferies, but did not include the 2 Green representatives in the group.
They said that referenced totals relate to members holding executive and cabinet responsibilities – roles carrying ‘significant’ statutory and decision-making duties:
“These include legally accountable responsibilities for areas such as children’s services, adult social care, public health, housing, and financial governance.
“The allowances reflect that level of responsibility, not simply attendance at meetings.
“As an example, and for comparison, between 2017 and 2021 the leader and cabinet members of the then Conservative administration were paid around £650,000 to £700,000 allowances, in total, for the four-year period.
“Between 2021 and 2025, the leader and cabinet members of the Alliance administration were paid around £520,000 to £585,000 allowances, in total, for a three/four-year period.”
They also said allowances are set through a ‘formal, independent’ process via the IRP, and the IRP makes recommendations based on the responsibilities, time commitment and statutory duties associated with each role. These recommendations are subject to democratic scrutiny and collective decision-making by elected members of all political groups, the councillors said.
The statement said reporting a 3-year cumulative total, without comparison to previous administrations, and not including other unitary authorities of similar size and complexity, or the statutory nature of the roles involved, does not provide a balanced or meaningful picture.
I dont believe the island has seen any quantifiable improvements relative to the the amount of allowances claimed. Not impressed
The whole political system is rotten to the core, councillors and MP’s aren’t doing that job to help the people, their in it to make as much money for themselves by any means possible, we have criminals running the country.
We need Guy Fawkes.
If the roles were unpaid, and merely to ‘help the people’, what type of person do you think would be financially ok enough to take the job? The rich perhaps, who don’t also need a wage? What sort of decisions might they make…to ‘help the (not rich) people’? What type of people might they be swayed to ‘help’?
Or maybe you are of the opinion that only the rich or elites have a place in politics, hmm? So nineteenth century.
There are those that staill believe in genuine service, not service as long as it pays a huge amount of money for being totally unqualified for the role, remember that these councillors use their council role as a side hustle from their normal jobs,so their total salaries are well into 6 figures.
And now we know why they have made cuts to service’s….
And why they have to keep ripping us cash cow’s off…
Our council tax Appears to be spent on their extravagant lifestyle…
How about an itemised account of what all you so called Councillor’s have spent every penny of our money on ?????
I won’t hold my breath!!!!!
Spot on, the country doesn’t need any of them or politicians
they are bleeding us tax payers dry.
A.I could replace the lot of them and do a better job.
If you take in to account all MPs, Councillors and their
minions salaries, pensions and expenses, not to mention
2nd homes, it is costing the country Billions of pounds.
99.9% of them are no good.
No election will change anything, they all belong to the
same money grabbing club.
Can we just be clear that these allowances refer to County Councillors. There are Parish Councillors all over the Island who receive no payment of any sort, including allowances for the work they do.
I believe Guy Fawkes did not do the job he was supposed to do either
No wonder they are all laughing in the photo
Snouts in the trough. About time an independent forensic audit was done.
I look forward to seeing the people who have criticised these allowances on here standing for election in May as I am sure due to their remarks they are far more able to run the council!!
Anyone who can walk and talk at the same time would be more suitable than most paid councillors.