Rachael Robathan and David Boothroyd

SENIOR council chiefs are under fire after waving through a massive pay boost after less than a year running Westminster City Hall.

Cabinet councillors have rubber-stamped their own 45 per cent pay rise at a time when tenants are facing massive rent rises, the leader of the opposition told a full council meeting on Wednesday.

Westminster City Council insists cabinet members’ allowances remain significantly lower than in other local authorities.

But former council leader, Conservative Rachael Robathan, said: “How can residents facing a 7 per cent rise in their rent, and huge tax bills from the mayor, understand cabinet members voting through massive pay rises for themselves?”

“In the middle of a cost of living crisis, with so many struggling to make ends meet, how can this be fair?”

She said that while in opposition Labour had called for deputy cabinet members’ allowances to be scrapped three times; but now, in power, they were raising them by 15 per cent.

Cllr Robathan added that the pay boost was indicative of Labour’s misplaced priorities that included funding key projects in Labour wards only while failing to cut back on the mayor’s budgets and to axe the Westminster Reporter.

She said: “Last year they committed to save at least £1.5million in 2022/23 by reducing temporary staff, but they have not made a single reduction. I know that we raised rents by 6 per cent but they voted against that. They were vociferous about it.

“How can they justify this 7 per cent raise?

“How do they explain to those social tenants who must have assumed that wouldn’t happen under a Labour council?”

Labour have, since taking over the city council in May, attempted to change its direction after decades of Tory rule under the banner of a “Fairer Westminster”.

Responding, David Boothroyd, the cabinet member for finance and council reform, said the budget was “the greatest step this council has ever made towards a fairer Westminster”, adding that the Tories were to blame for the equivalent of £175million in cuts to the council since 2010.

He read out a list of savings promised in the last Tory budget that he said were never going to come good, while adding that the council had maintained the lowest council tax in the country “without any tricks”.

There was braying from the ruling Labour councillors, in the style of many Conservative administrations that have preceded them.

The council said that Westminster cabinet members’ allowances will increase from £11.7k to £17k, which is lower than Kensington & Chelsea (£36.5k) and Camden (£26.2k).

On the 45 per cent pay boost, a city council spokesperson said: “The update is based on recommendations from an independent panel set up by London Councils, so is based on practice across the capital. The reality is that most senior roles were substantially below what London Councils’ independent advisers suggested.

“This is simply a revision of an outdated allowances scheme that brings us into line with the rest of council leaders and their cabinets across London.”