The council’s rainbow coalition, which includes Labour, SNP, Lib Dems and Independents, recently appointed the select group to senior positions which also carry a bump up in salary.
The basic annual pay for councillors in Scotland is £19,571, however 14 in Dumfries and Galloway will pocket £24,466 as either chair or vice-chair of council committees, and as provost.
Meanwhile, council co-leaders Stephen Thompson (SNP) and Linda Dorward (Labour) have opted to split what would otherwise have been £39,148 for leader and £29,361 for deputy leader. Instead, they’ll each receive a salary of £34,254.
The senior councillor appointments are: Archie Dryburgh, Labour – chairman of communities committee, with John Campbell, SNP – vice chair; Katie Hagmann, SNP – chair of economy and resources committee and Sean Marshall, Labour – vice chair; Richard Brodie, Lib Dems – chair of education committee, George Jamieson, SNP – vice chair; Carolyne Wilson, Labour – chair of finance, procurement and transformation committee, with Dougie Campbell, Independent – vice chair; Andy Ferguson, SNP – chair of social work committee, Iain Howie, independent – vice chair; Gail Macgregor, Conservatives – chair of audit, risk and scrutiny committee; Jim Dempster, independent – chair of planning committee, Emma Jordan, Labour – vice chair; and Tracey Little, SNP – provost.
Meanwhile, Councillor Gail Macgregor, leader of the Conservative group, has announced the appointment of opposition portfolio leads. Her team will mirror the senior roles of the SNP/Labour/Lib Dems/Independent administration.
Mrs Macgregor said: “The Dumfries and Galloway Conservatives have brought a fresh team to the council and this new opposition team is proof of that. It is a blend of experience and new talent who are ready and raring to go.
“They will do the job that people in Dumfries and Galloway want to see from us – holding the administration to account, putting forward positive policy alternatives and ensuring that, through strong opposition, we get better services.”
