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# Leader hopes decision to dock allowance for missing council meetings will improve attendance
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/leader-hopes-decision-to-dock-allowance-for-missing-council-meetings-will-improve-attendance/
- Published: 2017-03-09T12:32:11.000Z
- Updated: 2017-03-10T14:02:24.000Z
- Description: The leader of Lichfield District Council says he hopes a scheme which sees councillors lose part of their allowance for missing too many meetings will improve attendance.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:27, News

The leader of Lichfield District Council says he hopes a scheme which sees councillors lose part of their allowance for missing too many meetings will improve attendance.

[![The offices of Lichfield District Council. Pic: Lichfield District Council](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/lichfield_district_council_house.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2015/06/01/group-says-expanded-lichfield-district-council-cabinet-should-have-had-more-women/lichfield%5Fdistrict%5Fcouncil%5Fhouse-2/)

The offices of Lichfield District Council. Pic: Lichfield District Council

Cllr Mike Wilcox said the measure had been introduced following a recommendation by members of the Independent Remuneration Panel.

The issue came to a head when just 13 of 47 councillors attended an meeting about social housing – a situation which the leader of the Conservative-controlled council [said had been a “disappointment and embarrassment”](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2017/03/03/leader-of-lichfield-district-council-rant-at-councillors-after-less-than-a-third-turned-up-to-meeting/).

The penalty scheme will mean representatives who miss more than 75% of their scheduled meetings face being docked the equivalent of a month of their annual allowances.

[![Mike Wilcox](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/img_0688.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2015/05/22/business-growth-key-to-future-of-lichfield-and-burntwood-says-council-leader/img%5F0688/)

Cllr Mike Wilcox

“As councillors we have an obligation to represent the voters of Lichfield and Burntwood,” Cllr Wilcox told *LichfieldLive*. “It is important to understand that it is not acceptable to regularly miss meetings.

“I’ve told members that as elected representatives we have a duty to those who vote for us. That’s why the Independent Remuneration Panel recommended last year we introduce the measures to remove a month’s worth of allowance when attendance falls below the 75% mark.”

Lichfield District Council confirmed that the basic allowance, which includes an element for IT costs, is currently £4,090 a year, meaning that if they were docked a month they would lose out on £340.83\. Additional payments are made for Cabinet posts and other committee roles, although *LichfieldLive* understands only the basic allowance is docked if councillors fail to reach the attendance threshold.