Camden councillors set to vote on lobbying for increase to annual pay rises

One Sydney council is to consider lobbying for an extra pay rise for themselves, in the same meeting the community impact of the cost of living crisis will be highlighted.

Camden’s councillors are set to vote on whether they should lobby for an extra pay rise at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Camden’s councillors are set to vote on whether they should lobby for a higher pay increase for themselves on the same night the mayor will highlight the strain Camden families are under due to the cost of living.

Elected councillors are currently paid the maximum amount allowed under Camden Council’s classification, pocketing $27,650 annually with the mayor taking home $73,440.

Under the current agreement, it also includes a three per cent per annum increase in pay.

Council has tabled a report to be considered by councillors at Tuesday’s night meeting which recommends a submission to the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal for a pay increase in the range of four to five per cent per annum.

This could mean an annual pay rise of up to $1382.50 for councillors and up to $3672 for the mayor, with the council citing the rising cost of living as one justification.

Camden councillors will vote tonight.

When asked what hours councillors were expected to work, a Camden Council spokesman said it was “impossible to determine”, however claimed it was “reasonable to presume” their commitments had increased due to the growth in the area.

There was no specifics given to this publication as to how this was determined.

“Some councillors are members of committees that others aren’t; commitments such as council meetings, committee meetings and councillor briefings do not have set time lengths; and attendance commitments can vary,” the spokesman said.

Recent data revealed Camden was among the areas crippling under the strain of cost of living increases, and had some of the most elevated levels of mortgage stress even before the Reserve Bank announced the latest 0.25 per cent cash rate increase.

It was also unveiled that 75 per cent of borrowing households were spending more than they were earning in Camden.

In the same council meeting on Tuesday, Camden mayor Ashleigh Cagney will call for an increase on the number of councillors from nine to 12 to be reconsidered due to the financial implications.

“The Camden community, like the rest of Australia, is experiencing a cost of living crisis due to increases in the price of goods and services such as groceries, petrol and energy,” she wrote in her mayoral minute.

“Funding to hold the constitutional referendum and to pay for a potential increase in the number of councillors from 2028 onwards could instead be used to support delivery of services to our community, especially in the current challenging times.”

Former Camden mayor Greg Warren, who is the current Campbelltown MP, said councillors work extremely hard and dedicate a lot of their time with little reward.

“I don’t impose on the council, however it is important to note a lot of people are not getting pay rises,” he said. “I think that the current situation and struggles the community are facing should be a strong consideration in the decision.”

Mr Warren said decisions over councillors pay should be done at arms length, and made by an independent body.

“It’s a very awkward situation,” he said. “We didn’t give ourselves a pay rise for three or four years in a row … it was because of the political ramifications.”

Mayor Ashleigh Cagney and Camden Council have been contacted for comment.