These are often topped up by special responsibility allowances.

In addition special responsibility allowances are paid to councillors who carry out more senior roles.

Anyway," he added, "you get one dollar responsibility allowance, too."

"Yes," said Nobby, grinning, "and you get five dollars extra responsibility allowance."

Each local authority, it was suggested, should statutorily be required to draw up a scheme for the disbursement of special responsibility allowances.

Governors will require information about their school's staffing structure, including the duties and responsibility allowances of all the teaching and non-teaching (support) staff.

The same legislation Provided discretionary powers for local authorities wishing to pay special responsibility allowances to councillors holding such positions as committee chairs.

The scheme may include a basic allowance for every councillor, an attendance allowance in relation to specified duties and a special responsibility allowance for members who have such responsibilities.

The 1980 Local Government Planning and Land Act gave local authorities the power to pay 'special responsibility allowances'(SRAs) to their leading members (usually party leaders and committee chairmen).

The basic allowance (and special responsibility allowance) are theoretically paid to compensate councillors for the time spent on council duties, and are classed by the Inland Revenue as a salary.

Last year members approved an allowance scheme based on a £1,868 award for all councillors and a special responsibility allowance to be paid to council leaders and committee chairmen and vice chairmen.

Increasingly, moreover, in the larger authorities council leaders and key committee chairmen effectively work full time - a development given some impetus by the introduction of Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) for senior councillors in 1980 (Skelcher, 1983; Widdicombe 1986, vol. 2).

Almost all who commented to the Widdicombe Committee regarded the remuneration of councillors as 'unsatisfactory both in terms of the basis of payment and the level of payment'(Widdicombe 1986, para. 6.94) and the Committee recommended a basic flat-rate payment and a special responsibility allowance.