Expenses and salary bill for Inverclyde councillors revealed

But overall expenses claims fell by almost £2,000.

Conservative councillor Graeme Brooks, who is the depute provost and heads up the local authority’s licensing board, had the highest expenses bill, being given £3,312 in 2023/34.

The leader of the council’s Labour administration Stephen McCabe had the second highest total with £1,517, while conservative group leader councillor David Wilson had the third highest with £1,283.

However, the majority of the council’s overall expenses bill for 2023/24 was spent to cover the costs of using the local authority’s civic car, which amounted to just over £7,000, an increase of more than £1,000 on the year before’s bill.

Councillors Brooks, McCabe and Wilson were the only three elected members to claim car and van mileage last year, while councillor Brooks was also one of three councillors who claimed subsistence expenses, along with Labour elected members Paul Cassidy and Natasha McGuire.

SNP councillor James Daisley was given the lowest amount back, being handed just £22.69 for telephone and ICT expenses, with his party colleague Pam Armstrong and independent councillor Innes Nelson being tied for the second spot with totals of £27 each.

All councillors received a basic salary of around £20,000 but those with more senior roles and responsibilities receive extra money.

Council leader Stephen McCabe’s salary of £33,000 made him the local authority’s highest paid representative.

The next highest was Provost Drew McKenzie, who received £25,000.

Chairs of committees and boards, as well as the deputy leader and the leader of the largest non-administration group, all received additional sums on top of the basic pay rate.

The overall salaries and expenses bill for Inverclyde’s 22 councillors came to around £501,000, an increase on 2022/23’s total of £488,740.

Full details of every councillor's claims can be found at https://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/council-and-government/councillors/elected-members-expenses.