Pay cuts for councillors still weeks away

A pay cut for Christchurch city councillors could still be weeks away.

Legislation was passed in Parliament last week giving the Remuneration Authority, which is responsible for allocating the pay of elected members, the ability to reduce councillor and mayoral salaries by up to 20 per cent for six months.

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However, the authority's chairwoman Dame Fran Wilde said a decision would be made “in the next couple of weeks or so”.

Councillors across New Zealand with higher salaries will see higher percentages deducted from their pay, whereas those with lower rates of remuneration will have less cut from their salary.

The majority of city councillors in Christchurch, who earn $114,130 a year, and also Mayor Lianne Dalziel with a salary of $195,000, have signalled a willingness to take pay cuts in order to ease the burden on ratepayers.