It may seem strange for a profession to be recommended a pay rise of almost a quarter in these austere times, but that is the case for Scottish councillors according to an independent review of their salaries. The Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee says their increased workload justifies the rise. The total pay bill would increase from about £22.8 million to £28.3 million per year. The report argued this sum must be seen in the context of councils’ £10.9 billion revenue budget.