The 87 councillors, who represent residents of the Duchy on Cornwall Council, claimed over £2m in allowances during the last financial year, with one cabinet member claiming over £16,000 in travel and childcare expenses.

Unsurprisingly, the local authority’s leader, Linda Taylor, received the largest remuneration. The Conservative councillor for St Ives East, Lelant and Carbis Bay gained a total allowance of £56,622.26 for April 2023 to March 2024. That figure includes a basic allowance of £17,496, which all councillors receive, as well as a special responsibility allowance as leader of £32.367.63 with £6,758.63 for travel and subsistence.

The next highest paid councillor is Louis Gardner, a member of Mrs Taylor’s Tory cabinet. The portfolio holder for economy and councillor for Newquay Central and Pentire claimed £56,602.05. That included the basic allowance, £22,642.54 special responsibility allowance for his cabinet role, £3,752.40 for travel and living expenses and £12,711.11 for dependents carers’ allowance.

Cllr Gardner is one of only three councillors to claim the carers’ allowance, which is paid towards childcare, or care for the elderly or disabled people. He claimed over £12,500 more than any other council member. Cllr Nick Craker asked for £157.50, while Cllr Loveday Jenkin received just £27.90.

Cllr Gardner was criticised last year when he claimed £7,000, by far the highest amount of childcare expenses in 2022/23. He has defended the amount he receives.

The Newquay councillor told us: “I am the only cabinet member with a child of nursery age and a wife who works full time for the frontline NHS, meaning I was the primary carer before I was on the cabinet.

“When I was first offered the cabinet position I was financially unable to do it, this was only made possible when learning about the dependent carers’ allowance. I personally think it is wrong where we have a system that only people who are retired or have significant private incomes can afford to be councillors.”

He added: “I currently claim only for the time I am on council business and only for maximum of three days per week, despite working full time as a cabinet member a minimum of five days per week. Cornwall Council does not run any other childcare scheme for councillors like many employers do such as childcare vouchers. My actual annual childcare bill is over £20,000 per year and I pay the balance myself.

“Like many local people, from this month I qualify for 30 hours free childcare per week, which means I will no longer have to rely on Cornwall Council support to be able to fulfil my role as a full time councillor.”

Other councillors within the cabinet who also have children – Connor Donnithorne has a toddler and a second baby due in a few weeks’ time – don’t claim any childcare allowance.

The list of councillors’ expenses, which was leaked to us ahead of being published on Cornwall Council’s website, shows that a total of £2,018,942.80 was paid to councillors from 2023 to 2024.

On Cornwall Council’s website, the members’ allowance scheme details what extra special responsibility allowance each elected member receives, depending on the portfolio they hold if they are members of the cabinet, whether they are the chairman or vice-chairman of the council and whether they are chairman or vice-chairman of certain committees.

The 10 highest paid councillors are:

Linda Taylor, council leader (Conservative, St Ives East, Lelant & Carbis Bay) – £56,622.26

Louis Gardner, portfolio holder for economy (Conservative, Newquay Central and Pentire ) – £56,602.05

Barbara Ellenbroek, portfolio holder for children and families (Conservative, Redruth South) – £42,729.54

Olly Monk, portfolio holder for housing (Conservative, Newquay Trenance) – £42,504.13

David Harris, deputy leader and portfolio holder for resources (Conservative, Gloweth, Malabar & Shortlanesend) – £41,771.78

Richard Williams-Pears, former portfolio holder for transport (Conservative, St Austell Poltair and Mount Charles) – £41,759.72

Andy Virr, portfolio holder for adult social care and health (Conservative, Fowey, Tywardreath and Par) – £40,723.30

Martin Alvey, portfolio holder for environment and climate change (Conservative, Feock and Kea) – £40,256.06

Connor Donnithorne, portfolio holder for transport (Conservative, Redruth Central, Carharrack and St Day) – £40.138.54

Carol Mould, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods (Conservative, Wadebridge East and St Minver) – £40.138.54

Councillors who only took the basic allowance of £17,496 include Steve Arthur (Non-Aligned), Michael Bunney (Mebyon Kernow / Green Group), Nicky Chopak (Lib Dem), Dick Cole (Mebyon Kernow / Green Group), Sharon Daw (Conservative, who hasn’t partaken in council meetings for several months), Philip Desmonde (Conservative), Andrew George (Lib Dem and now the new MP for St Ives), Julian German (Independent), Dorothy Kirk (Labour), Matt Luke (Mebyon Kernow / Green Group), Thalia Marrington (Lib Dem), Rob Nolan (Lib Dem), Adrian Parsons (Lib Dem), Pat Rogerson (Lib Dem), Stephen Rushworth (Conservative), David Saunby (Independent), John Thomas (Independent), Shorne Tilbey (Conservative), Paul White (Independent), Tamsyn Whiddon (Mebyon Kernow / Green Group) and Paul Wills (Independent Conservative Aligned).