Councillors in Wales will see their salaries increase by 6.4% from April 2026, the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has confirmed.
The uplift will raise the basic salary for elected members to £21,044 for the 2026–27 financial year, according to the Commission’s first Annual Remuneration Report since it assumed responsibility for setting councillor pay.
Responsibility for determining councillors’ pay previously sat with the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales. The duties formally transferred to the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru in 2025.
The Commission said the 6.4% rise reflects the latest data from the Office for National Statistics’ Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), maintaining the established link between councillor pay and average earnings across Wales.
The ASHE benchmark was introduced before the 2022 local government elections, with the intention of keeping councillor salaries aligned with Welsh earnings until at least the 2027 elections. The Commission has opted to continue that approach for 2026–27 but confirmed the link will now be reviewed ahead of the next electoral cycle.
During a consultation on the draft report in September 2025, eight principal councils called for a smaller increase than proposed, while one authority argued there should be no uplift at all.
Despite these representations, the Commission concluded that maintaining the ASHE link provides a consistent and transparent basis for setting remuneration.
In addition to the basic salary increase, role-related payments for council leaders and executive members will also rise by 6.4%. However, allowances for community and town councillors will remain unchanged.
Shereen Williams, Chief Executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, welcomed the publication of the report, stating: “The Commission is pleased to publish its first remuneration report since responsibilities were transferred to us from the former Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales.”
She thanked those who responded to the consultation, noting: “Many considered arguments were made during the consultation.”
Highlighting the demands placed on elected members, Ms Williams said: “Councillors across Wales serve their communities with dedication, and run services that we all rely on every day. Research by the Commission shows that councillors are working an average of 28 hours per week on their roles, with many of them doing this on top of another job.”
At the same time, she acknowledged financial pressures facing local authorities and households, adding: “We recognise however that council budgets are stretched and the cost of living has increased for everyone, and we’ll look at new ways of deciding councillor pay for future years over the coming months.”
The Commission confirmed it will set out plans later this year for reviewing how councillor pay is determined in future.
The remuneration framework applies to elected and co-opted members of principal councils, national park authorities, fire and rescue authorities, as well as community and town councils across Wales.