Croydon councillors are set to see an updated Dependent Carers Allowance as part of a revised Members' Allowances Scheme for the 2026-27 financial year. The General Purposes Committee of Croydon Council met on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, to discuss and recommend changes to the scheme, which will be presented to Full Council for final approval in February or March.
The revised scheme for 2026-27 is expected to remain materially the same as the current 2025-26 scheme. Key amendments include an annual inflationary increase to expenses, reflecting the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from 2024 to November 2025, which stood at 4.1%. Furthermore, the committee recommended making the review of expenses and reimbursement rates an annual event.
The Dependent Carers Allowance has been updated to reflect the latest London Living Wage, now set at £14.80 per hour. This is an increase from the previous allowance, which was not less than the London Living Wage of £13.85 per hour.
Councillor Sean Fitzsimons, Chair of the Committee, emphasised the principle behind allowances: whatever organisation one works for, if one incurs a cost in the course of one's duty, one should be able to recover that cost. You're not making a profit on it. It's not a wage. It's just effectively, if you're paying for a hotel, it seems strange that the amount of the allowance cannot cover the costs of the accommodation.
While the specific current accommodation allowance was not detailed, this statement suggests it may be insufficient to cover actual hotel expenses.
Councillors can claim reimbursement for a range of duties undertaken on behalf of the authority. These include attending meetings of the Executive, various committees and sub-committees, other bodies to which the member has been appointed or nominated, and joint committees. Reimbursement is also available for duties related to the inspection of premises and for attendance at approved training and development events, sessions, conferences, and seminars connected to a member's duties.
The General Purposes Committee unanimously agreed to recommend the proposed scheme to Full Council. The process involves the committee making recommendations, which are then put forward to Full Council for final approval, as outlined in the public reports pack for the meeting Public reports pack 13th-Jan-2026 18.30 General Purposes Committee.
